#Direnor

[mrneighbourlove]

OC-Tober: Day 2. Their Immediate Family

Revy has been incredibly fortunate to have a loving and supportive family, even if the first decade and a bit was a little rocky.

Born from the one night stand between Rat and Scarlet, the Gerudo pirate gave Rat their daughter to look after Revy as she still had strong ties to Adda, and felt she had to finish a war. Taking care of Revy, her father stayed in Hyrule only for a few years before adventuring out to the country of Uskar. It is here that he fell in love with the warrior Borghild, and that Revy gained both a teacher, a role model and a mother.

Rat and Borghild were instrumental in teaching Revy her values of adventure, kindness, and using strength in the service of helping others. When Scarlet first came back into Revy's life, Rat was unsure if Revy would be accepting; he was barely accepting after he felt he and his daughter were abandoned. For Revy, she could see the good heart that lied in Scarlet, and was the source that Scarlet needed to sever her connections with Adda and her crew.

With Scarlet deciding to live in Uskar, she made up for lost time quickly, dedicating herself to teaching Revy some Gerudo history, and her own skills as a warrior. It didn't take long for not only Rat to warm to Scarlet, but for Borghild to as well. The trio of parents found a love for one another, marrying into a poly marriage. For Revy, she counts herself lucky to have this strong bond of love that she's connected to. Art by https://twitter.com/s_kinnaly @s-kinnaly

[s-kinnaly]

Happy belated birthday to @ridersoftheapocalypse and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! Here is another couple of our Zelgan universe, Angorn and Iomhar with their kids Njal and Sorsha. Njal is actually Angorn’s nephew but his mother died and so Angorn became Njal’s guardian. Sorsha is an adopted selkie. Will show more of her backstory soon (･ω<)☆

[karlaaqualight]

Sketch of Sigegar and Ashia. Still don't know the relationship between those two but there is a lot of death glares, punching and stabbing. And an obvious fascination of the Direnor Prince towards the mysterious rogue.

I'll probably write a short story about them soon.😜

Sigegar belongs to @ridersoftheapocalypse and @s-kinnaly

Ashia belongs to meh😆

[iamtrishski]

What Dreams May Come

This story is a one-shot fic that centers around my take on Prince Sigegar's first impression of Kanisa during the events of the Glacier's Forge arc by @ridersoftheapocalypse.

This is my FIRST-EVER attempt at writing any kind of fanfic, so I hope you enjoy it.

Warning: some of the events in this fic, including the explicit sexy times, are based on artwork by @s-kinnaly.

Characters in the story are the creation of the brilliant minds of @ridersoftheapocalypse, @mrneighbourlove, and @s-kinnaly.

----------------------------------------------------------

Ever since Sigegar laid eyes on Kanisa, the eldest son of Uskar’s High King Torbjorn and his queen, Brigritta, could not stop thinking of her. From the very first time she had set foot in the Grand Hall, time seemed to stop all surrounding motion as he gazed at the lovely sight walking past the throng of guests before stopping to greet the High King and Queen.

As he witnessed their exchange of greetings, Sigegar could not help being captivated by the Hyrule princess’s beauty as she introduced her brother and sister-in-law to his parents.

When she spoke, her smile shone radiantly with every word her lips formed and though he couldn’t hear her speak, he imagined her voice to be sweet and gentle.

Kanisa was absolutely gorgeous. The mauve-colored dress she was wearing was plain but accentuated her supple figure perfectly, kissing the curves of her body and boasting a neckline low enough to reveal the swell of her breasts. Her long and wavy red hair looked soft enough to run his fingers through, and the way her hips swayed with every movement made him weak in the knees.

Kanisa stood at six-foot-five and was taller than most Direnor females by Uskarian standards. She's perfect, Sigegar’s mind whispered to him. The females he had dated were nothing compared to the Hyrule princess, whose red hair and skin color stood out amongst the sea of dark hair and pale blue skin.

Although Kanisa’s skin was a dark olive-brown – a stark contrast to his own – Sigegar still found her breathtaking, especially as her golden eyes marvelled at the beauty of the Grand Hall.

His train of thought, however, was interrupted for a brief second the moment Vidar walked in, arms crossed and looking upset as he moved to stand beside Kanisa.

While Kanisa looked cheerful, Vidar had a rather distant aire about him, a frown plastered on his normally-neutral face. He wondered what had caused the Hersir to display such a pitiful expression. Then again, he didn’t care why. He wasn’t particularly fond of Vidar, considering him inferior and perhaps even weak because he was not of royal blood.

“There you are,” Ragnvald mused to himself as he strode toward his elder brother.

Sigegar appeared to be deep in thought. He had not heard his brother approach but was startled as soon as Ragnvald slapped his shoulder.

“Hey, what was that for?” Sigegar asked, rubbing the area his younger brother had touched then turning to see him smiling.

“Nothing, really. I happened to spot you from across the Hall looking all googly-eyed as soon as Princess Kanisa entered the room."

"I do not make 'googly-eyes'," Sigegar retorted.

"Says you," Ragnvald chortled with a wink.

Sigegar rolled his eyes and snorted, his gaze wandering back to the red-headed beauty.

Ragnvald paused before continuing. "You are aware that she’s married, right?”

“Obviously, if that ring on her finger means anything. But that doesn’t mean I can’t look," Sigegar snapped in defense as he crossed his arms in annoyance and observed Kanisa introducing her brother and his wife to Bjarke, Jarl Brynjolf, and Angorn.

The second-born son of the High King and Queen only laughed at his brother’s response. “Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Ragnvald jested as he put his arm around his brother’s shoulders.

Sigegar glared at his brother. Ragnvald, still smiling, raised both hands in defeat as he chuckled. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop. But don’t stare for too long. You know how aggressive animals can get when it comes to protecting their mates.”

Sigegar shrugged his shoulders knowing very well what his brother meant.

"Who said she needed any protecting? I'm not doing her any harm by just looking."

And dreaming, his mind added.

As the evening progressed, Sigegar grew bored from just watching Kanisa. However, fortune smiled upon him as she excused herself to get a drink at the bar. He took it upon himself to converse with her and made a bee line to where she was with Ragnvald right behind him.

As soon as Vidar caught sight of Sigegar walking toward his wife, he bristled in anger. Vidar was not fond of Sigegar either, recalling the time Angorn nearly drowned because Sigegar made no motion to save him.

Ragnvald, keen on emotion, sensed Vidar's rage as his brother attempted to speak to Kanisa. She turned her head in time to see the rather tall Direnor greet her.

"Hello, Princess Kanisa. It's been a while. How have you been?"

Before she could respond, Sigegar took her hand and kissed it. "It's a pleasure.. to meet you," he purred as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles before releasing her hand.

With a blush on her cheeks, Kanisa bowed to the two princes. "It's good to meet you as well, Sigegar. Yes, it has been a while, Ragnvald. Kerugan keeps me busy. Being the mother of a fussy infant can be demanding, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

A smile formed across Kanisa's face as she thought of her baby boy, who was currently at home in the care of Vidar's parents.

Noticing the kiss that Sigegar placed on his sister's hand, Covarog whispered something to his wife then walked over to join the trio.

A loud "ahem" snapped her out of her reverie as she turned to see Covarog standing next to her with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh! Forgive me. This is my elder brother, Covarog, King of Hyrule."

Covarog bowed then eyed both men up and down and expected them to cower, but the three of them were all practically the same height, save for Sigegar, who was three inches shorter.

King or not, Sigegar was the least bit intimidated by the Gerudo male standing in front of him.

Ragnvald extended his hand, and Covarog did the same, as both men exchanged pleasantries. Not wanting to appear rude, Sigegar took Covarog's hand and gripped it in a firm handshake.

Once he felt that neither man was a threat to his sister, Covarog walked back to Zarazu and resumed his mingling.

Kanisa breathed a sigh of relief after her brother left.

"My brother is very protective of me," she apologized as she looked at the brothers. "Moreso now that I no longer live in Hyrule."

"But you have your husband to protect you and your son," Ragnvald stated matter-of-factly.

Kanisa gave him a weak smile. "I suppose you are correct." Uncertainty filled her mind as she reflected on the argument she and Vidar had earlier that day.

Kanisa paused briefly before uttering another apology. "I'm sorry, but I have to get going. Kerugan has difficulty falling asleep when I'm not there."

With that, she bowed and bid the two brothers farewell.

As Sigegar watched her retreating form, he felt a twinge of disappointment.

As the night ended, Sigegar walked back to his home. Opening the door, he took off his furs and set them on an ottoman under the living room window. He took off his boots next, placed them by the foot of the stairs, and proceeded to walk up to his room. Once he entered, he divested himself of his clothes and stared at his reflection in the mirror, marveling at the various battle scars that adorned his arms and chest. With a smirk, he turned and strode toward his bed not bothering to put on any undergarments.

As he lay himself down, Sigegar couldn't help but reflect on the night's events, which he spent mostly watching Kanisa from afar. He recalled Ragnvald mentioning Vidar's name, followed by the slight uncertainty in her response. Then he remembered the expression on Vidar's face as he entered the Grand Hall and stood next to Kanisa.

"You are aware that she's married, right?"

His conscience reprimanded him, echoing the words his brother asked earlier.

He shot back.

"But that doesn't mean I can't look."

Satisfied with his mental response, Sigegar drifted off to sleep. Moments later, the prince tossed and turned, his head moving from side to side.

Though he did not wake, it appeared as if he was dreaming. Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead as the prince's body responded unconsciously to the events in the dream.

Kanisa was naked, a fur blanket obscuring her partially-covered bottom half but revealing her round and pert breasts. They were the perfect size, pliant yet large enough to fit in his hands. Her nipples and areolas were a bit darker than the rest of her skin but were just as enticing.

Standing in front of her, Sigegar made motion to remove his clothing slowly. As he worked on pulling his top off, Kanisa was mesmerized at the sight of his abdominal muscles contracting with every move of his body.

Following the bottom of his shirt, her glance moved up to his pecs, which flexed as his arms removed the last vestiges of his top.

Her cheeks reddened just like they did when she accidentally happened upon her eldest brother in the bath. Fortunately for him, she could only see his top half.

Noticing her flushed cheeks, Sigegar did the same with his trousers. Kanisa stared at him while he tantalizingly unbuttoned them, her eyes following the happy trail leading toward his nether region.

Once his trousers slid down his muscular legs, her eyes went wide, revelling at the sight of his now-hardened manhood.

Sigegar stepped out of his trousers and made his way to Kanisa, grabbing her face tenderly as he gave her lips a heated kiss.

The fur blanket dropped to the floor as they kissed each other with wanton desire, tongues dueling for dominance.

Amidst their steamy liplock, Kanisa grasped his hardened member and began to stroke it.

"Aaahh.. hmmm," Sigegar moaned in his sleep.

"Nngh.. Kanisa," he sighed.

Licking his lips, Sigegar thrashed his head to one side as the dream continued.

Feeling the heat course through his veins, Sigegar kissed Kanisa with more ferver, lifting her and carrying her bridal-style to his bed.

As he gently laid her on the bed, Sigegar began kissing her neck and making his way down her body while his hands fondled her breasts and teased the nipples into hardened peaks. He kissed the valley of her breasts before licking the nipple of one with the tip of his tongue then suckling it. Turning his attention to the other breast, he repeated the same action.

Kanisa moaned as he rained butterfly kisses down her taut body until he reached her womanhood, spreading her legs wide for what was about to happen.

Kneeling between her thighs, Sigegar wasted no time and laved her clit until he felt her legs shake. Using the tip of his tongue once more, he teased her swollen nub by drawing circles around it, repeating the motion several times until her hips began to buck.

With one last lick, Sigegar darted his tongue into her womanhood and wiggled it. When his tongue wasn't inside her, he kept the momentum going by alternating between sucking and licking her clit, feeling his bearded chin drenched in her juices with each strafe of his tongue. He then inserted his middle and ring fingers and crooked them both upward, applying pressure to her G-spot as he moved his hand in and out with a quick and steady motion.

Kanisa moaned loudly, her mouth forming an 'O' as she palmed and squeezed her breasts.

Hearing her moans made Sigegar hard with lust. He stopped what he was doing for a quick moment, stood up, and exchanged places with Kanisa. As he lay on the bed, he motioned for them to assume a sixty-nine position.

Grasping her ass cheeks, he resumed licking her pussy while teasing and sucking her clit. Catching on quickly, Kanisa grabbed his shaft and began to stroke it. Once she put her mouth on his tip and started sucking, Sigegar hissed and inhaled sharply. He tried to continue his ministrations, but her talented mouth assaulted his member sinfully, licking up and down the shaft with the flat of her tongue before laving the sensitive ridges of the engorged mushroom-shaped head.

Kanisa was so focused on what she was doing that Sigegar almost forgot to breathe, grabbing the sheets with his hands and bunching them in his fists. With his heart pounding, he squeezed his eyes shut and cursed under his breath, feeling like he was about to explode.

Before he could do so, he moved out from under Kanisa quickly and knelt behind her. Using one hand, he guided his still-hardened member to her glory hole and rammed himself into her sopping wet entrance. She was very tight and felt amazing as her vaginal walls contracted with every hard thrust.

Sigegar could feel and hear his heavy sac slapping against her womanhood as he concentrated on bringing them both pleasure.

Turning Kanisa on her back, Sigegar re-entered her delicious pussy and continued to thrust into her. As he did, he stared down at the woman currently in the throes of pleasure, her hair fanned around her flushed face.

"Aaah.. ohhh.. hmmm," Kanisa moaned as she raised her hips to meet his thrusts. Grasping her hips tightly, Sigegar pounded into her pussy, slamming into her heavenly sheath repeatedly with brute force.

"Aaahh.." Sigegar groaned. Still asleep, his mind continued to fan his lust with images of Kanisa writhing beneath him.

Gods, she was so damn beautiful.

He was so close to cumming that he sped up his movements until his hips jerked. With one last look at her and a final thrust, he let out a long and loud groan..

Panting heavily, Sigegar snapped open his eyes. He looked around the empty room to find no trace of Kanisa. Frustrated, he rubbed his face with both hands and realized it was all a dream. However, a rather large problem made itself known as it protested against the confines of the fur blanket. Looking down, Sigegar let out a heavy sigh.

"Great, now I have to take care of this," he muttered under his breath.

Sliding the blanket down, he exposed his manhood and ran his hand over his balls then moved his fingers upward to feel the veins covering his shaft.

Once he reached the swollen head, his finger rubbed over the slit, feeling a bead of slippery liquid escape. He closed his eyes then grasped his shaft and started jerking himself slowly.

As images of Kanisa flooded his mind once more, he sped up his movements and concentrated on her face, her eyes boring into his in a lustful daze.

Sigegar began panting as he envisioned himself kissing the nape of her neck, one hand fondling a breast and the other in between her legs. He imagined her moaning relentlessly as she moved her arm backward to grab at his hair.

He could feel the impending explosion as his toes tingled, working its way upward to the base of his spine.

As it neared, Sigegar furiously pumped his manhood, seeking release. The moment he felt it, he heaved his chest upward as warm, white ejaculate sprayed all over his abdomen.

"Nnnghh.. aaarghh!" Sigegar almost yelled. Slowing down his pumps, two more spurts of ejaculate landed on his chest.

Panting very heavily, heart stammering in his chest, Sigegar was drained. He could barely move a muscle, let alone lift a finger.

Looking up at the ceiling, he whispered, "Shit.." into the night air.

He summoned whatever energy he had left to grab a towel and wipe himself clean before falling into a restful slumber.

[sakura-atsue]

Legend of Zelda: A Direnor Story

I have finally decided to publish a fanfic that had been on my mind for a long time. It is based on the story “Legend of Zelda: Glacier’s Forge” of @ridersoftheapocalypse and the world of zelgan babies that she and @s-kinnaly have created (also inspired by the story of the amazing @figmentforms “A Tale of Two Rulers”).

Thank you for your fantastic stories, I love them and I have beem especially attracted to Direnors’ culture, as @ridersoftheapocalypse knows well (sorry again for the huge messages with questions and doubts XD).

I confess that I am a bit afraid to share this story because english is not my native language and I have certainly committed many spelling mistakes. I hope you can still read and understand my writting and, of course, you can enjoy it. (You can read the spanish version, it will be much better written).

I will upload small pieces of the story, little by little and maybe some drawing if I dare XD. I will do it in english and spanish in the same post, in that order.

Well, I better shut up now. I hope you like it and sorry again for the mistakes with the language  ^_^

---

PROLOGUE

There is just one thought filled her mind. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

Run away from the frost ones.

She was running at full speed, like a dark shadow between snow and ice, making her way through the thin leafless trees. Her breathing was hoarse and irregular, the muscles of her legs hurt terribly due to exhaustion but a primitive instinct urged her not to stop, boiling in the depths of her being.

Survival.

She must survive not only for her but for her clan. For her companions, friends, family... and her father. Especially for him.

Her run stopped as she sank into the snow but with a superhuman effort she managed to get up and continue. The wound of her thigh burned like a hundred knives cutting through her skin, she could feel the blood flow and stain his fur. She had been and idiot and that distraction could cost her life. She hoped that the gods, Rotar and Handeh, would protect her because if she met the frost ones again, she would not be able to fight them.

A sudden whiplash of pain made her moan and stumble. Unable to keep her balance she fell forward, rolling down and embankment of several meters like a heavy sack until she stopped and was half buried by the snow.

For a few minutes there was only silence.

Everything around her was white. She tried to move but her body did not respond, she had no more strength. The transformation began to subside: her fur disappeared, showing her bare skin nibbled by the freezing cold of the snow.

It was over, she could not resist ir anymore. It was the end. She had failed her family and her clan.

She did not know how much time spent buried in the snow until she heard a distant sound. Footsteps of something big, not human for sure. Was she in the realm of dead? A scaly touch removed the snow from her body and a warm breath caressed her skin. With her last reserves of strength she managed to open her eyes.

A high figure was outlined against the sunlight, a huge and inmmense body with a long neck. His head twinkled in blue with horns, scales and wild eyer that stared at her.

It was a dragon.

The last thing she saw were his fangs approaching. Then the shadows swallowed her conscience.

---

(Spanish version)

Por fin me decidí a publicar este fanfic que tenía en mente desde hace tiempo. Está basado en la historia “Legend of Zelda: Glacier’s Forge” de @ridersoftheapocalypse y el mundo de los bebés zelgan que ella y @s-kinnaly han creado (también inspiradas en la historia “A Tale of Two Rulers” de la increíble @figmentforms).

Gracias por vuestras historias, me encantan y me siento especialmente atraída por la cultura de los direnors, cosa que @ridersoftheapocalypse sabe bien (siento los enormes mensajes con preguntas y dudas XD).

Confieso que me da un poco de miedo compartir esta historia ya que el inglés no es mi lengua nativa y de seguro habré cometido muchos errores ortográficos con ese idioma. Espero que aún así puedan entenderla y disfrutarla. Por suerte aquí está la versión en español, mucho mejor escrita seguro XD

Subiré pequeños fragmentos de la historia, poco a poco y tal vez algún dibujo si me atrevo XD. Lo haré en inglés y español en el mismo post, en ese orden.

Bueno, será mejor que me calle ya. Espero que os guste!

---

PRÓLOGO

Un único pensamiento llenaba su cabeza. Nada más importaba en ese momento.

Huir de los Frost ones.

Corría a toda velocidad, era una sombra oscura entre la nieve y el hielo, abriéndose paso entre los delgados árboles sin hojas. Jadeaba con fuerza de forma irregular, los músculos de sus patas le dolían terriblemente debido a la extenuación, pero un instinto primitivo la impulsaba a no detenerse, hirviendo en lo más profundo de su ser. La supervivencia.

Debía sobrevivir, no solo por ella, sino por su clan. Sus amigos, sus compañeros, su familia contaba con ella… su padre.

Su carrera se detuvo al hundirse en la nieve, pero con un esfuerzo sobrehumano consiguió ponerse en pie y continuar. La herida del muslo le dolía como cien cuchillos cortándola, podía notar la sangre fluir y manchar su pelaje. Había sido idiota, se había despistado y eso podía costarle muy caro. Esperaba que los dioses, Rotar y Handeh, la protegieran pues, de volver a encontrarse a sus enemigos, ya no podría luchar.

Un repentino latigazo de dolor la hizo gemir y tropezar. Fue incapaz de mantener el equilibrio y cayó hacia delante, rodando por un terraplén de varios metros como un saco pesado, hasta detenerse y quedar semi enterrada en la nieve.

Durante unos segundos nada se movió.

A su alrededor todo era blanco. Trató de moverse, pero su cuerpo no le respondía, ya no tenía más fuerzas. La transformación comenzó a remitir, su pelaje desapareció, mostrando su piel desnuda, mordisqueada por el frío gélido de la nieve.

Se acabó, no podía más. Era el fin para ella. Había fallado a su familia y a su clan.

No supo cuando tiempo pasó enterrada en la nieve hasta que escuchó un sonido lejano en la nieve. Eran pisadas de algo grande, no humanas, seguro. ¿Estaba en el más allá? Una caricia escamosa retiró la nieve de su cuerpo y un aliento cálido le acarició la piel. Con sus últimos estertores de fuerza, consiguió abrir los ojos.

Una gran figura se recortaba contra la luz del sol, un cuerpo voluminoso e inmenso, de largo cuello; su cabeza centelleaba en tonos azules, tenía cuernos, escamas y unos ojos salvajes que la miraban fijamente.

Era un dragón.

Lo último que alcanzó a ver fueron sus afilados colmillos acercándose a ella, antes de que las sombras se la tragaran.

[blukrown]

Not Meant To Be - Chapter 1

Also available on AO3

An Old Friend

Tebanam Dragmire would rather anything else than participating in council meetings. Climb the desert dunes in the scorching midday sun, swim the rapids in a typhoon or try to keep warm on a mountain during a blizzard. All painful but surely not as mindfully draining as listening to a group of elderly Hylians complain, argue and never decide on anything. But, seeing as he was visiting his family he had been reluctantly convinced to help. As his parents were finalising their retirement from the throne, there was still a lot to be done. And the work was too much for the crown prince, Covarog, to handle alone.

Tebanam had tried to be optimistic about it, attempting to see behind the drilling monotonous talk that took up most of the meeting. After being away from royal life, maybe his mind had exaggerated the times his father had invited him into the chambers to watch. Perhaps there was at least some interesting aspect to be had. After all, this was the epicentre of the nation, where trades, treaties and policies were struck and broken. But he had been sorely mistaken.

For over three hours, the ancient Hylian men disputed the significance of minimising the trade of silks from a country on the southern border and did not get anywhere closer to a conclusion. The only thing that kept Tebanam from practically going insane in that room was the fact that Faris, his lover, was just outside those doors. So he listened and tried not to fall asleep, imagining how fun it would be to show Faris the rest of the castle, as they had only just arrived yesterday evening.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the council was disbanded. Tebanam was going to be the first one to the door but he was stopped by a call.

"Tebanam, wait one moment."

The prince frowned, it was rather impolite to call him just by his name alone. Although it did not bother him too much, he turned to the voice with an unimpressed look. But that was wiped away with surprise by who it was.

There had been a young Hylian man at the meeting. Mature, yet still not aged and war-worn like the rest. Tebanam had thought he looked familiar but all of the council members were old family acquaintances so he had brushed it aside at the time. But now he got a closer look, it all came flooding back.

A Hylian man, wearing a traditional nobleman garb, with tanned skin, soft eyes and small beauty spot under his right eye which moved when he smiled. He was tall, for a Hylian that is. But compared to Tebanam he was more than a head shorter. He had mousey brown hair, hanging down to his chin with a matching trim beard. He was handsome, that was the first thing Tebanam thought before his memory kicked in.

"Jazoh?" Tebanam asked, shocked he even had the chance to say that name.

The man, Jazoh Spegeil, was pleased the prince recognised him, "The one and only."

Tebanam did not know what to think. How many years has it been? Six? Seven? Clearly long enough that they were almost unfamiliar to each other by a glance.

Tebanam let out a laugh, opening his arms and the shorter man embraced in a friendly hug. "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to-"

"Be on some far off farm? Yes but when my uncle passed recently, I was the seen as the one most suitable to take his place." Jazoh elaborated, giving the man a tight squeeze before pulling away.

Tebanam was speechless. Jazoh, here in the flesh and not looking too worse for wears. He felt a great sense of relief, although guilt still twinged somewhere deep down.

"Listen, I- . . . I'm sorry I never stopped them. You didn't deserve to be sent off just for what happened."

Jazoh shook his head. "It's fine. There was nothing you could do to stop my father from sending me away."

Tebanam looked over the man with worry, trying to find any evidence he was mistreated but only saw a considerably fit, happy man. "What were you doing while away?"

"Helping my great grandmother. She owns a farm in the northwest near the coast, most of the Spegeil men get sent up there from time to time to help. It was tough, she was cruel at first but once I convinced her I had 'changed', she softened."

"I just hope you were treated well," Tebanam said reluctantly. He could only take Jazoh's word but knowing how monstrous his father was, goddesses knew what the man's other family were like.

Following the stragglers, as they left the room, Tebanam wanted to know all that happened to him. "What were you doing there?"

"I was doing almost as much work as the peasants. Out in the fields farming, in the forests hunting. I was practically a glorified farm hand." Jazoh recounted, giving a look of visible loathing. "Except I was hit for looking at any of the male workers, I couldn't even breathe without her being at my throat."

"It must have been awful then," Tebanam could only sympathise, still feeling some sort of regret.

"But I am a Spegeil, although they tried, I am as ignorant as my father. There would be no way I would be forced to change to satisfy their pride." Jazoh voiced, almost like he was proud. "No one could change the way I feel about y-"

"Tebanam," A low voice came from nearby, which Tebanam recognised instantly.

Faris, dark, scarred and handsome, warmed Tebanam's heart when his eyes first laid eyes on him. Coming to his side, the prince wanted to just complain and whine to him. But he knew, with eyes surrounding them, he would keep it professional. So he took his partner in his arms in an embrace.

"Faris," Tebanam said happily, letting the embrace linger as he enjoyed the feeling of his lover's embrace. Kissing his cheek as they parted, his hands held at the bodyguard's arms as if not too partial to detaching just yet. "I'm sorry it took so long. I hope I didn't keep you."

Faris shook his head, "No, it's fine." He said curtly, the slightest of smiles being all Teb needed to know all was well.

Tebanam must have gotten a bit distracted, as he almost forgot Jazoh was there until he heard a cough. "Tebanam, are you going to introduce me?" The nobleman asked, a bit confused but not too bothered by the newcomer.

"Oh!" Tebanam said, pulling his arms away from Faris while he let out a awkward laugh, "Sorry, Jazoh." Gesturing to Faris he then introduced him, "This is Faris, my bodyguard and lover." Doing the opposite he gestured to Jazoh, "This, Faris, is Jazoh Spegiel, my-"

"Ex-lover," Jazoh interrupted, giving a smile that crinkled his eyes. He took a step forward, his right hand out to shake the other man's hand. Looking Faris up and down almost sizing him up and perhaps it was just Tebanam's imagination but he could have sworn the man straightened, as if to make up the just over one inch height difference between the them. "It's my pleasure, Faris."

"Y-Yeah," Faris said, almost surprised. He took the shorter man's hand and shook it, "It's nice to meet you."

Tebanam and Faris had separated from Jazoh soon after, the prince saying they had things to do. Promising he would talk to the man further in the next few days. As all of the court members were to stay in the castle as work was needed to be done.

When Tebanam had said 'things to do', Faris had thought there was actually errands he needed to complete. Instead, as promised, Faris' partner toured him around the castle and its grounds. Recounting memories and stories as they walked the elaborate halls, beautiful garden and high castle walls. Although without becoming preoccupied with the occasional kiss behind a pillar or tree. As even after two years of being together, the two men could not quite keep their hands off each other.

There was stories of late nights in the library, of sparring with siblings and his father, pranks and games which had terrorised the staff of the castle for over two decades. They all sounded wonderful and made Tebanam smile as he reminisced them which would make Faris follow in turn.

Tebanam did not talk much about his childhood as the third prince of Hyrule before coming here. Although he talked about his family, he never much recounted his life. That's why Faris was rather surprised by the appearance of a previous partner. Sure, the prince had talked of his sexuality, of when he knew and so forth. But talk on ex-partners had either been never spoken of or avoided. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Faris himself could only count one person as being considered a lover and even then one would put an asterisk under it, as it was Lord Siek of the Nara. An abusive and cruel man who paid for Faris' nights away from the Colosseum.

Faris had let it be, however, as surely bringing up possibly sad memories would surely ruin the great afternoon he and Tebanam were having.

Dinner was a pleasant affair, Faris sat with the royal family, or at least with who was in the castle at the time. Gannon's conversations with him were short but he was clearly impressed with Faris' strength both when he was a gladiator and as a bodyguard for his son. Zelda, although giving him a doubtful look, was kind and kept offering him more food, clearly having a doting side. Covarog reminded Faris very much of Tebanam if he was only much bigger and much more mature. From what Faris knew about the role, he could definitely see why the crown prince suited the role as king. Zarazu, Covarog's wife and mother of his two infant children, had been warm and very much welcoming. Whenever she saw him that day she always asked if he was settling in well. She surely understood the discomfort that came with the elaborate life of Hylian royalty. Cass, was kind but quite energetic for a woman heavily pregnant. Who was happy to recount stories to anyone who would listen, mainly the eldest sister Orana. The eldest princess was very much an adventurous spirit who almost interrogated Faris on his life in the desert, so much so Tebanam had to distract her to free the poor man.

Kanisa, the youngest daughter, had a permanent residence up north with the Direnors where she raised her son with her husband. She was missing from the table but she was on her way right as they spoke, sailing down to aid her family. As for Rinku, although the adopted eldest said a few words when they arrived yesterday, she was soon off on a mission requested by her father. Something about a foreign beast coming over the border and terrorizing a town.

The biggest surprise for Faris, as it turned out to be, was how well he got along with Ralnor. Although he was a prince, he seemed very aware of Faris' feelings and thoughts. Easily giving him the most ease apart from Tebanam himself. The second prince listened closely to when Faris talked and was very much interested in his version of the couple's adventures. Faris hoped this would continue, as he actually enjoyed the conversations they had.

Once dinner was complete, the family scattered, all happy to go straight to their bedchambers as a full stomach made one easily susceptible to sleep.

In their chambers, Faris was still not used to the extremely soft bed and silk fabrics. Even Tabanam himself was fiddling with the mattress, even saying, "I got used to just blankets on the ground."

They changed into sleeping clothes and Faris felt discomforted in changing into the clothes provided. As they were made of the purest of whites and almost felt uncomfortable on his body. The only saving grace being Tebanam's praises that it suited him. His dark skin and matching dreadlocks very much alluring as they contrasted with the pristine fabric.

Both were too tired to indulge in any night activities but it did not stop them from laying together and talking. Faris had his back to Tebanam's chest, fingers and legs intertwined and the prince's head resting on his bodyguard's shoulder. All while shrouded in the darkness of the night apart from the lowly lingering flames in the fireplace.

"Did you have fun today?" Tebanam asked, "I hope my family didn't interrogate you too much."

Faris shook his head, "No, they were all very nice. I understand if they're cautious."

Tebanam hummed, his fingers leaving Faris' hand and opting to play with the man's hair, his fingers combing between each dread as they fell down his shoulders.

Jazoh's face and the self-introduced title came to the front of the shorter man's mind, bothering him very much even after he promised himself it wouldn't. He almost didn't want to. Perhaps it was too invasive or even rude to assume something was amiss. But he couldn't help it.

With a deep breath, he asked, "Who . . . Who is Jazoh?"

Tebanam tilted his head to try to look to Faris' face, or at least what he could see from where he lay. "An ex-lover. We knew each other before I left."

"How did you meet?" Faris inquired, trying to sound unperturbed.

Either Tebanam was fooled or was untroubled by it and elaborated, "We met at a fencing competition. I think I was  . . . seventeen?" His tone like it was a question as he tried to remember accurately. "The prize was a decently large amount of money and the chance to have a private dinner with the royal family. It was an annual event my Papa started in an effort to get along with the people of Hyrule. Jazoh had told me his father had seen it as an opportunity to get close to us and rise up the ranks in the court, so he made him join. He was lucky enough that Jazoh was a master of swordsmanship from such a young age. He was really good from what I remember, I think Papa was almost impressed by how quick some of his matches ended." Tebanam paused, either to recount or to think then continuing, "I was . . . Attracted to him nearly instantly. He was really clever and was impressive when he fought, not to mention he was . . . very handsome. I wanted an excuse to get to now him so I asked him to teach me to fence. I was awful at it compared to him but it gave me alone time with him. Jazoh treated me like everyone else, not a rich prince or son of the 'Demon King'. But I held those feelings back at first, after all, Hyrule did not much like homosexuality." Faris could very much understand that, as whispers had followed them throughout the day as people watch two men hold hands. "Sure, my mother and father were progressive enough, but their image would be ruined if I tried anything. I was then very surprised to see it was mutual." Tebanam's arm around him tightened, as if to make sure Faris would not to leave. "We kind of . . . I think we went too fast. We were kids, I think I was just excited to have my feelings reciprocated for once. But . . . six months in and we were caught. Next thing I knew, Jazoh was sent off. I wasn't even given the chance to say goodbye."

Faris was not sure whether to be thankful or annoyed by how detailed he spoke of his feelings. He was honest to a fault in some ways. Both men were silent for a while and Faris could only think it all over.

Tabanam clearly did not much like Faris being unresponsive, as he said soon enough, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was troubled for sometime after I left home . . . But once I knew Jazoh was alive and safe from what I knew and there was nothing I could do I just . . . moved on." There was pain in his voice at this, so much so Faris' hand squeezed the prince's. "There was so much I wanted to do, I didn't really want to keep on worrying about Jazoh . . . I hate to say it but I ended up forgetting him soon enough."

Faris rolled onto his other side, now face to face with his lover. He could see Tabanam felt a very strong sense of blame. His bright eyes not even looking to his as he lowered his head in shame.

"Clearly I did not feel as strongly about him as I thought." Tebanam muttered, wringing both of his lips through his teeth. "It shows how desperate I was to find something."

Faris felt nothing but empathy for him. There was no feeling of betrayal or hurt towards him. Tebanam suffered, Faris' lover suffered. And knowing another innocent man was punished, perhaps even more strictly, for a crime that should not even be seen as such only made it worse. And to see the boisterous man Faris had fallen in love with almost crumbling under the weight of this made Faris want to hold him tight until all that pain disappeared.

So that's what he did.

Embracing him in a tight hug, he let his right arm hold the back of Tebanam's head. Letting his fingers comb through the long orange locks in an effort to comfort him.

"It's not your fault," Faris whispered, kissing the prince's head. "Thank you for telling me, Tebanam."

Faris was never the best shoulder to cry on but he knew this was what Tebanam would want. He did not need any elaborate words to convey that he did not hold anything against him. Tebanam nuzzled into the nape of Faris' neck, sighing as he seemed to loosen. His muscles being relieved of any stress as he welcomed the hold.

It was not long before they were soon fast asleep. In spite of both of them being troubled by the events of that day, they could only look ahead to when the sun rose again.

Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

This fic is based on the Zelgan au by @figmentforms including Rinku and Cass

The Zelgan babies, as well as Faris and Jozah, are created by @s-kinnaly

And special thanks to @ridersoftheapocalypse  for writing the main fanfic about Tebanam and Faris, which inspired this fic 

I highly recommend you look at their content on this to have a better understanding of the story

[osanecif]

Ao fim de vinte anos, ainda há talentos para galardoar

Uns à primeira, outros à terceira e até à quarta nomeação. Houve um pouco de tudo na gala de entrega dos galardões ‘A Nossa Terra’, que decorreu anteontem à noite no Theatro Circo, por iniciativa da ‘Direnor’. Na música,...

Ao fim de vinte anos, ainda há talentos para galardoar

[mrneighbourlove]

Was leere ever in the running to rule hyrule and if so how would she have done has the ruler of hyrule

Despite being the oldest by age, Leere was never going to be in the running to rule Hyrule due to a number of various factors. As an adopted child that wasn't even of Hyrule, the opposition of the religious and noble factions would have been fierce against the royal family. Secondly, despite being loved by her father, Ganondorf would never put her on the throne before his own first born, and if anything happened to Covarog, Ralnor would have taken his place, and so on and so forth. Finally, the idea of ruling just never appeased Leere. The pressure of being charge of a kingdom of various cultures of people is something she'd never want for herself, not to mention the feeling that the unlucky tragedies that followed her would somehow bubble up to effect all of Hyrule.

Despite these circumstances, Leere did learn the education required to rule just like any of her siblings to lead not just from throne, but as a princess in general. She did have responsibilities that she took on for the betterment of Hyrule, and if anything tragic would have befallen her parents while the rest of her siblings would have been too young to rule, Leere would have taken the throne with great humility until her siblings were ready themselves.

Now if Leere was crowned the leading monarch, I imagine her rule would have been a hard road ahead of her. The most realistic conditions to be made Queen would have had to come from incredibly tragic circumstances by losing her family. For this example lets use the War of Fire with the Kikai Empire and lets say the end of the war was far more costly then how it would have ended normally. Zannah's kidnapping of Kanisa was instead a successful assassination of the entire royal line of children. This would have lead both Zelda and Ganondorf to be far more ferocious in their response, but also more reckless. The end result of the war is a final conflict that results in the fatalities of the entire Hasai race, Queen Zelda, and King Ganondorf. As the flames of conflict come to an end, Leere is left with a scarred kingdom and a broken home.

As the last family she has left and being less of a princess than even Leere, Rinku would help her adoptive sister in ruling where she could. Leere would take the throne and title of Queen, burning a fire under the asses of any who would object to the title without her being married. For the Necromancer, she would insist that what Hyrule needed was to project any image of strength they could, and her being labeled Queen would go a long way to do so. Next, would be allocating resources to rebuild the damage to the kingdom, both physically and spiritually.

Leere would create a policy of the living respecting the dead to a further degree then Hyrule already does. Pacts would be called upon that the dead would serve the living in a time of crisis, and in return the dead would receive constant tribute of respect and love. Heavy crimes would be punished with swift severity, and brutal examples would be made to anyone who would harm children.

Whose to say how key events like the conflicts with Vul'kar, the Frost King, or Chaos would go isn't exactly black and white. Leere would have an interesting fight on her hand as Queen with Vul'kar, but being allies with the Lorliedians could turn the tide. She might even be able to stop the Abyssians from being unleashed from the trench before they were ever released in the first place. The Frost King would either win outright with the Direnor's not wanting the help of another Necromantic ruler, or Leere would have in engage in very brutal and very even conflict with the Frost King. By the time of the rise of Chaos, unless a different host for Balance were to rise, it would most likely be the end of Hyrule under Leere's rule.

As far as succession would be concerned, Leere might be the first ruler of Hyrule in a long time to either A. Not be married. Or B. Have many, many concubines. To the disappoint of many nobles of the old era, most of these concubines would be women. Unless Leere learned the techniques to shapeshift her form, she would not be able to sire royal children of her own bloodline, not that wouldn't stop her from adoption if need be. Although unlikely, there is a possibility of Bonegrinder or Sunny being found and married in this timeline could happen. With Zannah dead, the smartest choice Leere could make politically would be to offer marriage to Queen Annuciata of Danjur for a union of their kingdoms.

From the outside looking in, and even with many of her own people, Leere's popularity would be low, especially with her openly supporting the dark arts and the spirit realm. The only true friends she'd be able to count on would be the likes of Rinku and the Skull Kid, with the likes of Ghirahim and Vaati being dangerous but powerful advisors, the former having little reason to follow her lead with Ganondorf dead outside of a curiosity at how his King's protegee would last, and the latter constantly being given favours to stay and give his help. Despite this, Queen Leere would give her all for the kingdom, even if there may be little happiness for herself, or thanks received.

Art by @lunaartgallery. One excellent representation of what Leere may have dressed as Queen.

[mrneighbourlove]

OC-Tober: Day 13. Love Life

Revy had never been much for love in a romantic sense. Liz found love with Prince Halvar, and Lex was always content in physical intimacy. But Revy never could make an emotional connection with the people of Glacier's Forge. Plenty made advancements on her, but she either saw through obvious attempts of seduction, or would quickly drop dates when she realized she lacked the commitment from lack of the connection she was looking for. Any times that Revy almost got intimate, she would break it off.

It was then one dark, cold night that as Revy stumbled drunk down the streets, she bumped into the woman who would win her heart. Seija is a Direnor, and while she is a little taller than Revy, she is rather petite for a Direnor. Able to transform into an owl, Seija has piercing yellow eyes and owl feathers that pultrude from her hair. Running an orphanage, Seija won over Revy's heart not with might, but with kindness.

Seija was created by @ridersoftheapocalypse

[mrneighbourlove]

OC-Tober: Day 12. Fighting/Combat Style

Revy was raised in a mixed style taught to her by Borghild, Rat, and later Scarlet. This comes out as a unique blend of Direnor Hunting with the tactics of a pirate. Rat and Scarlet would teach Revy their own techniques on how pirates operated, with what they each learned on the high seas as well as being a gladiator and bodyguard respectively, but it was Revy's step mother that really cemented the Gerudo's fighting style. Borghild taught Revy how to be patient, and, if the opportunity presented itself, to ambush prey/enemies with a fierce ferocity. That fear, surprise, and intimidation are powerful tools to a warrior. It's with this philosophy in mind that Revy fights like a wolverine, slashing her way with great force and mobility.

Wearing light padding with leather clothing, Revy prefers to be able to be nimble than heavily armoured. With her battle axe, she parries with her hilt when need be, sometimes picking up a shield if a situation calls for it. With the mobility afforded to her, Revy has practiced to twist her wrists to have great flexibility to repositioning where the swing of her axe will go to try and cleave limbs or cripple targets. Along with her use of her single long reaching axe, Revy has had training in the use of duel wielding hatchets and short swords to perform quick strikes that maximize a furious offensive or defense. If Revy finds herself without a weapon, she's more than comfortable with using her fists to go all out in a brawl.

Finally, after finding and unlocking the magical potential within herself to use lightning magic, Revy has learned how to stream magic into her weapon, often performing shockwaves of electrical energy to deal a great deal of damage to a singular or group of targets.

Outside of her chosen style of combat, Revy has knowledge in archery, pistol firearms, booby traps, how to perform in Iron Knuckle armour like her mother, and training in aquatic and snowy environmental combat and warfare.

Art by @tartulhouse

[mrneighbourlove]

OC-Tober: Day 5. OC as a Child

Revy was always a child full of wonder and excitement at almost any given situation she could get herself into. Her earliest years in Hyrule didn't influence her much, outside of the stories she was told of the great hero Link and all the various legends that surrounded his heroics.

When Revy moved to Glacier's Forge in Uskar, she was always keen to help her father and mother when not attending school. Once she was educated on the basics of life, she was quick to learn about sailing from her father and hunting from her step mother. Hunting, however, wouldn't be taken far until she was ready for the dangers that lurked in the frozen tundra.

When it came to interacting with other kids, Revy had a very extroverted personality. It didn't take too long for Direnor children to warm up to her, but Revy sometimes held some jealousy that she lacked their ability to shapeshift into animals. To make up for this ability, Revy was no stranger to trying to prove her own capabilities as a person. This often lead to her showing off whatever she could excel at, but she was taught to never devalue others as a result.

When she turned to her teenage years and the introduction of her mother came into her life, Revy trained her body and mind for the day she would face down Captain Adda to track down and rescue Seer. It was in her teenage years that she would also face some of her first real challenges. Fighting Frost Ones, keeping Liz and Lex's spirits up, and puberty.

[mrneighbourlove]

OC-Tober: Day 26. Royal AU/Dirt Poor AU

If Revy were to be in a dirt poor AU, she'd would honestly thrive, being a hunter/gatherer that lived off the harsh environment that Uskar threw at her.

A Royal AU is where it could get more interesting. Having gotten his wish, Sigegar chanced an encounter with Scarlet when Adda and her pirate crew arrived to Glacier's Forge to trade supplies. The pirates found themselves trapped in Uskar when a magical blizzard set upon by the Frost King froze their boat to the docks for almost a year. Within that time, Sigegar had an affair with Scarlet, resulting in the birth of Revy. Unfortunately, the Revy wouldn't have the chance to know her mother in this continuity, as Scarlet was killed in a raid of Frost Ones. Begrudgingly, Sigegar would raise his daughter as a bastard heir to the throne.

Growing up, Revy would fight for respect amongst the houses, and gain the love of her family. As a Princess, she would have had her powers concealed and hidden away due to the stigma of magic in Direnor culture at the time, at least until a situation would provide itself for her to show her true capabilities. Perhaps if given the chance, she could lead all her people to greatness.

[mrneighbourlove]

Crimson Storm: Ch 1. The Invitation

Sixty-Seven years ago Vul'kar and his minions revealed themselves and were defeated. That same year, however, Revica, Elizabeth and Alexandria were born into the world. Over the decades, the three women had been on many adventures. Traveling across the seas, fighting pirates, and even surviving the Frost King's invasions. Yet nothing was as personal as their encounters with the Dread Pirate Adda. As the mother of Liz and Lex, the Gerudo had terrorized the citizens of Uskar simply because of her relation with Seer and her daughters over the years. She had killed friends, taken lovers, and ruined relationships with her machinations. The final time that the three women had encountered her, they finally arrested Adda, delivering her to Hyrule, but not before Liz and Lex lost their biological father to cancer.

After so many years of strife, Adda's daughter's found peace upon the news that the axe was dropped down on Adda's neck. With her blood finally spilt, the air felt lighter for them.

Life still found change for some in Uskar. Seeking new adventures, Revy took up an opportunity to move to the Gerudo Desert to serve King Malik. For a while, she felt she was going nowhere in terms of advancements. Despite the fact that she would leave her younger siblings, parents, and Seija behind, they stood by her actions with love. Some years had passed when she decided to send her family and friends an invitation.

Landing outside Rat's house, a Rito took a breath of fresh air. "Mail gram for the 'Borgy' family."

The O'Malley House was still as loud and as rambunctious as ever, especially considering the fact that Rat, Borghild, and Scarlet, all together, had seven children. Even though Revy had moved out years prior, Trygve and Volcana still stopped by to visit their parents, having opted to stay in Uskar, but Lovisa, Greta, Sigrid, and Sylvi were still at home. Rat often joked that Trygve could not wait to get away from all of his sisters, being the only son in the family, but it seemed the boy still was ever watchful over his baby siblings. The children scrambled to the front door, all arguing over who should read the mail from the Rito. After all, it had to be from Revy! Ritos were native to Hyrule, not Uskar! The excited chatter instantly died down when Borghild took the letter from the Rito, earning a disappointed groan from the kids.

"All of you need to quiet down, your father is resting." Borghild chided the girls sternly, "You know he hasn't been feeling well today."

"But Mom, Sigrid got to read the last letter, it's my turn now!" Sylvi protested.

"Is not! It's mine!" Greta objected.

Before more arguing could start, Borghild held up one hand.

"If you continue to bicker, then no one gets a piece of the strawberry cake that Seer sent over for dessert." Borghild gave the girls 'the look' as Rat affectionately called it when his wife was meaning business. "Now, go back inside and get Mama, Mom needs to share this letter with her."

"Can one of us at least read it to Dad?" Sigrid asked with a tint of hope.

"I'll leave that up to Mama, now git." Borghild waved them off and then went in search of Scarlet, finding her patiently sitting beside Rat, who was asleep in his chair by the fireplace. "We have mail from Revy." Borghild leaned down and whispered in Scarlet's ear. "Come to the kitchen, we'll read it together. Rat will be okay by himself for a few minutes."

Scarlet turned slowly. In her age, she certainly didn't have the spry energy she used to hold. She gave Borghild a nod with a light smile. "We'll both be over in a moment.

Gerudos aged slower than Labrynnas, but Direnors had naturally long lifespans. Borghild had come to the realization long ago that she would most likely outlive Rat and Scarlet. Though, she had promised to watch over their children as long as she could. Even with her current age, she still had good energy and seemed healthy. Unfortunately, Rat's condition had depleted over the years. The cancer was eating away at him and no matter how many times Naira healed him, it kept coming back. After a while, Rat had gotten tired of the constant magic, making him feel sick and weak, and had decided to stop treatments. He wanted to enjoy what little time he had left with his family.

"You want me to make you some tea?" Borghild asked Scarlet, "We have some of that raspberry flavor leftover from Hyrule that Seer ordered."

"That would be lovely." Scarlet turned to Rat, gently nudging his shoulder to wake up. "Rennigan. Time to wake up."

Rat roused from slumber with a loud yawn, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Hrm... what time is it?" He murmured to Scarlet, "I need to bring in more firewood before it gets too late."

"Don't worry about the firewood, Trygve stopped by earlier to chop more for you." Borghild assured Rat, "He didn't want to wake you. He left the salmon he fished for us for dinner."

"Rennigan. We have a letter from Revy."

"From Reveka?" Rat's eyes lit up a little. News from Revy was few and far in-between with his daughter's busy schedule working for King Malik. "Oh, everyone will be delighted at the news. We need to relay to Seija what we've heard too, she has missed Revy terribly."

Scarlet nods in agreement about Seija. "Admirable that Seija is still waiting for Revy."

"I think the little owlet is still smitten with our girl." Rat grinned, "Though, what does the letter say? Is our girl doing well?"

"We'll the kids are waiting for us to join them so we can all read it together."

Once all the girls were in the living area with their parents, everyone was patiently waiting for the news to be read.

"Here, Scarlet," Borghild handed her the letter. "You have the honors."

Cutting the letter open, Scarlet opened up the letter. "I believe it was Sylvi's turn, Borghild. Next letter is yours, Greta. Here sweety, read this."

'Hello everyone. Revy here! I'm writing this letter in hopes that you are all well. It has been quite a while, hasn't it. My days in the desert are hot and taxing, but always keep me busy and excited. My work for the King as a guard has been a noble duty, but what's been truly rewarding is getting to know the people that live here. Gerudo culture is so lively and joyous! Fighting for them, protecting them, has caught Malik's eye. He has presented me with an honorary title of Champion for the Gerudo! I'm thrilled to have this honour given to me. As you may also know, Bomba's anniversary is coming up. I've been talking with Uncle Corsaire, and we think it would be wonderful to celebrate my future due to the sacrifice Bomba gave us. A memorial to Uncle Bomba that cherishes the past to walk through the future. I hope everyone can make it! We have so much to catch up on! Love you all. - Reveka.'

"A promotion for Revy and a memorial for Bomba?" Rat was glad to hear that Reveka was doing so well, even though he missed her presence here in Uskar. "Quite an odd a-combination for sure, but we must attend!"

"Don't be silly, there is no way you can travel like this." Borghild was always the voice of reason it seemed. "Revy will understand."

"Now, now, Borgie, me hasn't left the house in ages, and besides," Rat hugged the group of girls at his feet. "Me thinks it is high time for a family vacation anyhows."

"Urgh..." Borghild rubbed her forehead, "Scarlet, talk some sense into our husband."

"Well... a trip to Hyrule would be nice. Some of the kids have never been yet." Scarlet shrugged. "How about a vote? Who wants to go see Revy?"

After all the girls raised their hands, Rat alongside them, Borghild gave out a louder groan.

"Scarlet, going to Hyrule might be too taxing for Rat." Borghild sounded worried. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"If he feels this is what he wants to do with his energy, he can do so. So long as we're all together, does is matter? Life needs to be explored in order to live it to the fullest."

Borghild really did not like the idea of Rat traveling so far from home in his condition. While her husband was as stubborn as an old goat, and had lived longer than Naira expected him to do with the cancer, she still worried for him. The slightest cold could be lethal for him now since his immune system was shot and he could barely find energy to enjoy the day sometimes. Yet, at the same time, Borghild did not want to deny what would make him happy. It was a double edged sword for sure. Sighing, the grizzly Direnor rubbed the bridge of her nose and nodded her head in agreement with Scarlet's assessment.

"All right, all right... but the moment he starts feeling bad, we're coming back home."

~

"So, what does the letter say?" Seer asked Ocax as he stirred the pot of rabbit stew for lunch. It was the girls' favorite and both Lex and Liz had asked for the meal for dinner. Of course, Seer absolutely loved it when his twins visited for dinner, which lately, was more often than not. It seemed after finishing up duties, family time was the most important. While Ocax still diligently completed work for the High King and Queen, he too, liked to come home after a long day. Since Torbjorn and Brigritta had retired from the throne, it was now up to Ragnvald and Zolori to lead the Direnors. Ocax's only complaint was that Ragnvald was even more picky than Brigritta when it came to paperwork. Yet, Ocax was as meticulous as the old queen... though Seer would never say it out loud. "The girls will be delighted to hear from Revy."

“It’s a formal invitation to celebrate both a promotion and a celebration of life for Bomba.” Ocax took his glasses off, nodding to Seer. “Should we go?”

"I would love to go." Seer could not believe it had been decades since Bomba had passed. He was the little brother to the entire crew and had never been forgotten. It was painful for most of the crew to remain on a ship because of the loss. It seemed that even his late captain still had the sea blues from time to time, always listening for one of Bomba's horrid sea shanties. "Do you think we should take Magnus or ask Kanisa to watch him while we're gone?" He was a little skeptical of the raven Direnor traveling such a distance even though he was older now.

“Magnus is old enough to start knowing the world.” Ocax gave Seer a pat on the shoulder for comfort. “He should know his world doesn’t compose of just Uskar.”

"I suppose you're right." Seer was still a little iffy about Magnus being outside of Uskar. Here, their adopted son was safe and around a family who loved him. Anything could happen in Hyrule. Then again, Seer had always been the paranoid one after what happened with Liz and Lex being tormented by Adda. But, she was gone. It was time to try to let go of that fear. "How long do we have before we need to leave? I'm sure that Rat got a letter too."

“Well, we can discuss it with them tomorrow after dinner with Elizebeth and Alex’s families.”

“I guess we better pack what we can now, and find out if we’re riding dragonback or taking a ship.” Seer figured he’d have to pack half his kitchen if the whole family was taking a ship because, like always, he did all the cooking. “We need to get Revy a gift too. I wonder if she still likes cream cheese icing carrot cake… I could make her one once we’re in Hyrule.”

“Probably has been eating hard foods and fruits out in the desert. Anything that can melt will probably be a treat to her.”

“Oh? Like how you melt for me?” Seer grinned at his husband, still a cheeky flirt after all this time. No matter how old a Direnor lived to be, sex would still be on the brain. “Especially when I talk dirty to you.”

“How is your mouth dirty?” Little Magnus asked aloud. Ocax’s expression was rather alien in his mix of frustration and embarrassment at his partner’s loose tongue in front of their son. "You'll understand when you're older and have a spouse of your own, Magnus." Seer just laughed at their adopted son's obvious confusion. He could smell Ocax's embarrassment and thought it was very cute. Even after all this time, the blind man still jumped Ocax's bones when the two had a moment alone.

“It means your daddy needs to have soap put through his mouth if he doesn’t stop alluding to adult context in front of kids.”

Lex was quick to come through the front door first, cheering out, “Hey family! We received a letter from Revy! This is better than a pounding from downtown.”

Ocax shook his head as he was quick to cover Magnus’ ears the moment Lex burst in. She was anything if but predictable.

"Rather put you in my mouth." Seer murmured into Ocax's ear, close enough to feel the twitch from his breath being so close. As soon as Lex busted through the door, the cook had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Ocax was so shy when it came to matters of intimacy. Even after all this time, all Seer had to do was say 'penis' and he could hear the blood rushing to his lover's face. "We did as well, Lex. I'm assuming Liz knows too?"

“She’s on her way with her kids and hubby to talk things over. Speaking of hubbies, mine needs to start gaining his second wind better after we start up the baby factory.” Quickly, she snapped her head back towards her husband, almost screaming out loud. “OY! YOUR PELVIS OKAY?!”

Dreng was not too far behind his wife, dragging behind him a pair of twin boys and a little girl. It seemed that Liz had taken to motherhood quite well and was already wanting a litter. Though her libido had never died, that much was for certain.

“When I asked if you wanted enough children to run a ship, I assumed you knew I was joking.” Dreng chuckled.

“Oh please. Look at them. I’m going to take over the world with them by my side.” Lex turned to dot on her toddlers. “They are just adorable, aren’t you?”

“So what’s this I hear about a trip to see your old captain?” Dreng asked Seer, “A memorial for an old shipmate and a promotion celebration? Quite a combination of you ask me.”

“Rat and his family are probably going too, and if I had to guess,” Seer gestured in the direction of the orphanage, “Seija got a letter too.”

“Oh I hope she did. Poor little thing needs to either get a new lover or find someone to look after the orphanage while she leaves for Hyrule.” Lex was incredibly blunt.

“Now, Lex, let me remind you how you pinned after a certain prince forever.” Seer reminded his daughter of her childhood crush. “I’m sure Seija will manage.”

“Prince Foxalant? Old news. Speaking of, where’s the fudge brown keeping us? We have this full family dinner or what?”

"Prince Gets-sex-a-lot, mind you," Halvar was right behind Dreng and Lex with Liz and Valkyrie in tow. The once lanky prince had grown into a brute just like his father before him. For a long while, the young prince favored his mother but it seemed as time passed, he only grew stronger and certainly more 'fluffier' according to Liz. Though, she seemed to be a huge fan of all the hair, especially the thick beard. "I'm assuming everyone knows about Revy's letter now."

Following behind her husband, Liz was wearing her military attire. She found it custom to wear a pelt of a great beast sewn into the collar of her suit, this time having a wolverine fur stitched to her black suit with golden strips around her shoulder. Finally, after working so hard up the ranks, she had achieved the rank of Admiral. Not that Uskar needed an Admiral. Truthfully, achieving the rank was almost like retirement. She hardly had to go out on a ship anymore or travel. Now, it was mostly the odd inspection and keeping documents in order. The most excitement she had was when she received a letter that the Kikai islands had been destroyed, but that just meant more drills for the Captains under her.

Turning, she made a hand motion for her daughter to hurry in as she looked to her husband. “Halvar. No need to boost your masculinity on my account.” Turning back out, Liz cleared her throat. “Come on young lady.”

"If you get sex more than I do, you two should have an army." Dreng gave a yowl when one of his kids pulled his tail, quickly yanking it out of reach. "But I suppose one can be just as much as a handful than three."

"Why deny it when it is true?" Halvar placed a kiss on Liz's cheek as Val gave an exasperated sigh at her parents' constant display of affection, her father more so than her mother. "I suppose you're going to Hyrule, Seer?"

"It seems that way." Seer had Magnus hugging onto his leg, happy to see his big sisters and cousins showing up at the door. The little boy always enjoyed company. "It's been a few years since the entire crew was together. Maybe longer." He missed being around his old crew mates, but was glad everyone had found a place which suited them in life. "Besides, this is for Bomba just as much as Revy. I believe it will be important to all of us, and well..." The blind man gave a small sigh, "It might be the last time we're all together before Rat..." Seer couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Before his cancer takes him, yes." Liz was rather blunt with the truth as she put her coat up. "I despise tip-toeing around it, Father. Best we accept the truth and embrace our time left with him."

Lex looked back and forth, hating how awkward the truth left her. There was no way for her to poke fun in such a dire situation. Instead, she chose to ignore it. "Well since we're all here! Let's get the kids settled in. Val, darling, why don't you help your auntie with the plates."

"Mom, don't be so crass." Val gave her mother a small look, as she started setting out the plates for the meal alongside Lex. "Uncle Rat has fought this for a long time to be here with us. We all know he's dying."

"Rat is certainly stubborn to have lasted this long." Dreng had to admit, "He's got some gumption. Not sure if anyone else would have made it through all those healing sessions and such bad symptoms."

"Rat wants to be here for his family, but I think we all know that he knows his body best." Seer stirred the rabbit stew his twin daughters loved, checking to make sure it was done with a couple of sniffs. "If he says enough is enough, then we have to respect his decision."

With them grabbing dishes, Lex gave Val a soft pat on the back. She had a fondness to dot and gossip with her niece, along with some light teasing. “So Val, you have your first boyfriend? Or is your mother still scaring them away?”

"The one time I tried to visit the Pleasure House, Mom dragged me away by my tail." Val gave a roll of her eyes as she started placing the silverware and cups. "Dad understands a little better with the rutting season coming and going, but Mom is terrified to be a grandma before the age of fifty."

“So still no cherry popping.” Lex sighed. “One day little niece. One day.”

"Eh, no one has really caught my fancy anyway." Val shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe I'll find me a handsome foreigner like you and Mom did."

"Well, she's not wrong." Halvar rubbed his beard with a grin. "My family always has had good looks."

"Oh please, you were smitten with Liz the first time you met her." Seer waved the spoon in the prince's direction. "I remember that little puppy love when you were kids."

“Ah yes. Nothing like a life threatening adventure to bind us to ever.” Liz chuckled a little.

"Life threatening?" Seer repeated, "This is just a trip to Hyrule, not Omisha."

At that, Liz sighed. “No. I think not.”

Lex was quick to start placing bowls of soup around the table. “Let’s all sit and dig in, yes?”

"So, you're not going?" Seer wanted clarification from Liz, "It seems you're the one dancing around topics. What's wrong with Hyrule, Liz?"

"After all this time, Grandpa still makes the best stew." Val sat down, ready to dig into the meal.

“No. I don’t think our family will go.”

Hearing that, Lex dropped her spoon in her bowl. “Oh why the hell not.”

“Because Hyrule is a land constantly thrown into calamities. Have none of you heard the news about The Kikai Islands being destroyed? The fact Revy left to go actually live in those cursed lands is insanity. She will have to understand I’m not going to bring my family to a land that might break out in war any moment.”

"You do realize that the Kikai Islands were destroyed by some horrors made by a deity of destruction." Seer told his daughter with a small frown. "Not to mention, Hyrule and Uskar are allies. If there's a coming war, then we'd be bound to help anyhow, but so far, no news of war so everything is fine."

"You know Corsaire is expecting us to be there for Bomba," Halvar told Liz, giving his wife a small hug around the shoulders to comfort her. "And Revy would be heartbroken if you didn't show up. Besides, we're all meeting in Taiyo Town anyway, aren't we? Not at the castle."

“I don’t want us to be caught with our guard down. Besides, monsters can show up anywhere. No reason to take the risk.” Liz brushed them off.

"And what makes you think I'm just going to stay here?" Val gave her mother a glare, "You know how badly I've been wanting to go and visit my other uncles and see Revy again."

"Dear, let's not---" Halvar started to try to placate his daughter too, but it was too late.

"And you know that I wanted to go to Danjur to study, but you axed that idea as well since the late empress or emperor of Kikai lives there."

"Honey---"

"You even discarded my books on Labrynna and Al-Daida too!"

“You have a perfectly good, perfectly normal, perfectly safe life here in Uskar!” Liz stared her daughter down with a fiery glare. “Besides, those countries have slavery. They aren’t good influences.”

"Oh, just like it was really safe here when the Frost King was alive?!" Val shot back at her mother. "The Frost Dragon?! Did you forget that we have ice trolls here too, or did that slip your mind as well?"

"Oh Rotar, here we go..." Halvar murmured under his breath.

“We worked hard to rid this land of that evil! To give you a safe place to grow up!”

“That was mostly Kanisa…” Lex muttered under her breath.

"And I'm glad I had a good childhood, but I'm an adult now!" Val argued, "Grandpa let you and Aunt Lex do what you wished when you were adults! He might have been protective when you were kids, but at least he had enough respect to let you pursue your passion as a member of the navy even when he was afraid for you!"

“You’re a teenager.”

"I'm an adult in this land," Val told her mother, crossing her arms. "And don't try to tell me different, I know you and Dad shacked up when you two were young."

Halvar nearly choked on his stew, and Seer started coughing, getting choked on his water.

She then added, "Not to mention, Aunt Lex was the sex guru after Uncle Angorn."

“We were forced to grow up given our circumstances. You should be lucky you didn’t have the lives me or your aunt led at your age.”

"You know I did not like it when you took up a position on your Uncle Corsaire's ship because I was worried for you, but I knew I had to let you live your life, dear." Seer reminded Liz a bit more gently than her sister. "Besides, we're not going to be sailing anywhere. We're just going to Taiyo Town for Revy's promotion, I think. Or was it on Corsaire's old ship?"

"I think the letter said on the ship." Halvar pulled out the post once more to read it over to make sure. "Yes, dinner on the Sea Witch... gosh, that ship is old now, but it's where it all started."

“It would be unwise to keep the world from your daughter Elizebeth.” Ocax spoke up gently. “Teenagers usually find a way of getting what they want. With or without resentment towards you.”

Liz found the words difficult to counter back. Holding her breath on the others, she turned to her daughter. “Do you really want to go?”

"Yes, I don't want to miss out on seeing Revy or a new place." Val insisted to her mother with an exasperated sigh. "I'm not going to do anything stupid like you and Aunt Lex did all those years ago to get hurt. I just want to go somewhere that isn't here."

Shaking her head, Liz let out a slightly exhausted breath, looking her daughter in the eyes. “Fine.  We can go. But there are a few conditions you need to follow.”

"Oh, let me guess," Val rolled her eyes, and then counted on her fingers. "No flirting, no wandering off alone, no parties, no fun."

“You can tease all you like, but no sex. There’s no way you’re going to pull a Vidar and get pregnant with some sap’s child.”

"Unlike that situation, I know what a condom is." Val replied in a dry tone as she took a sip of her drink, earning a snorting laugh from Halvar. "And you're one to talk, Mom."

"How about we just all agree that you will enjoy yourself but be very careful and safe at the same time?" Seer was hoping to steer the conversation away from sex at the dinner table.

Liz calmed herself down with a deep breath. Her daughter had a way of making the fire in her face burn at times. "Second. You're going to clean the entire attic before we leave."

"...? There's no attic in the Ingeborg Mountain, Mom." Val played dumb, "Only Grandpa Seer has an attic, which who knows, he and Gramps Ocax might have turned it into a sex room or such during this rutting season. He's just as possessive as Dad is over you."

Now it was Seer's turn to blush ten shades of red, but knew that Val was not exactly wrong. During the mating season, it was true, he could not keep his hands off of Ocax.

"Oh no Attic? I guess you can clean the entire house then. No more embarrassing your grandfathers."

"We don't have a house, we live in the mountain with Grandma and Grandpa." Val was just as cheeky as ever, ignoring her mother's impositions like a pro. "Nice try, Mom."

When Liz glanced at him, Halvar kept his gaze away from his wife's piercing one.

"... she gets this from your side of the family, so don't go blaming me." Halvar was not about to be the source of blame. "She inherited all that from some of her uncles, not me."

"You can clean this house you smart ass."

"Oh, I don't mind help Grandpa Seer and Gramps Ocax clean." Val had a wide smile on her face, "At least they're nice and aren't so demanding of perfection."

"Oh, Rotar help us." Halvar muttered under his breath.

"Anyway," Dreng decided to interrupt, "When do we leave? Ship or dragonback?"

"It would probably be best to fly dragonback." Val did not want to sail for over a month on a ship with her overbearing mother. She went one time on an expedition with her parents and that was pure hell. Her mother always expected things to be her way and if it did not meet expectations, there was always hell to pay. "Faster and less traveling for Uncle Rat."

"It's more motion sickness on a dragon. We can take my flagship. It can get us to Hyrule in a week on nonstop travel." Liz smiled at her daughter. "You want to travel? You can do so like I did around your age. It has plenty of cabin room and those Danjur engines are incredible in their ability to travel the ocean."

"I'd rather shovel dragon shit all day than get on a ship again with you." Val stated rather bluntly, just like her Aunt Lex. "I'll get my own ride there if you and Dad are going by ship. Last time was pure hell---"

"Speaking of dragons," Halvar interrupted before a fight could start, "Na'seema is going to visit her parents in Hyrule, so why don't we ask her if we can just hitch a ride with her, Stra'tuso, and her hatchlings?"

"Grand idea!" Dreng agreed to keep peace at the table. "And less sea sickness too."

She almost purred at the sophistication of her own ship. So the idea of taking a dragon was a major buzzkill. “My ship barely rocks.”

Lex whispered to her husband. “You need to say at least one good thing about her boat.”

"Honeycakes, I'm your loving, adoring, insatiable kitty cat, but this big cat doesn't like water." Dreng told his wife with a shake of his head, giving a shudder at the thought. Even his tail was slightly poofy at the thought of having to sail out in the middle of the ocean. "I'm a scout, not a sailor. I work at the docks, but I don't swim in the water. I have to vote dragonback, even though your sister's ship I'm sure has all the bells and whistles, I'm not getting in something that could sink."

Liz gave Dreng a look. A look that told him he could kiss his bonus holiday Turkey goodbye. With a defeated sigh, Liz gave in. “Fine… we can take a dragon…”

“Thanks sis. We promise we’ll make it up for you.”

Dreng knew the look, but if it meant him being in the doghouse with Lex for a few days rather than getting wet in the middle of the sea, he'd gladly take her sulking.

"So," Seer then said, "Let's start packing."

“After dinner dear.” Ocax took a sip of his soup. “Then little Val, you grab a large bag. I’m sure you’ll have many Souvenirs you’ll want to bring back.” ________________________________________________________________

Next Ch.  Created with @ridersoftheapocalypse

[mrneighbourlove]

The Twilight Baby

The sun shone brightly down on the magnificent castle of Hyrule. Just as the day was starting, the calm winds changed as portal opened up in one of the hall ways. From there, a small child plopped out. The little boy’s eyes blinked, and he closed his eyes from the light of this world. Finally, it hurt so much that he let out a wail for help.

~

“Deer. I-I really must be going to work.” Ocax panted as his lover had him pinned, breath heavy.

"No, you're going to stay with me." Seer had gotten frisky during breakfast. There was something sexy about the way Ocax smelled right after a shower. He was clean, his scent was more potent and... dreadfully lacking of any of Seer's personal scent. Someone might get the wrong idea during mating season and attempt a move on his lover. That was unacceptable. The orca Direnor had started with little kisses down Ocax's throat before turning into nibbles. The dining room table was left unattended with breakfast getting cold, as Seer had promptly picked up the Twili, threw him on the bed, and started to make love to him... albeit, a touch rough since his instincts were getting the best of him. "Kanisa doesn't need you right now, you can wait until after lunch. Or after dinner. Maybe tomorrow morning."

“I-I must protest. I can’t lose another weekend of work. What would she think?” Ocax blushed blue as he felt his lovers shaft push tightly in him.

"That you are rather preoccupied..." Seer purred into Ocax's ear as he held tightly to his lover's hips, giving a teasing, harsh, thrust. "With being filled by me."

Ocax screamed aloud with a shrill voice and cam. Afterwards, he mumbled with a pout. “I just had a shower too...”

"What if I want you to smell like me today?" Seer asked the Twili with a smug tone to his voice. "Leave my mark..." He was certain there were a few love bites on Ocax's throat. Not to mention, his scent was now mingled with his lover's, so there would be no mistaking. "You can always top me too, you know. I'm not stingy that way. Though, I do enjoy feeling you wriggle beneath me."

“You little brat.” Ocax did so, quickly pushing his lover over the bed.

~

Rinku, first princess of and hero of Hyrule, sometimes really hated the snow. Trekking up to Kanisa’s door, she glanced down at the bundle she was carrying once again before knocking.

Kanisa, too, was at the mercy of her husband's loving. However, Vidar was currently occupied with training some rookies, so she had a break for the time being. Her legs still felt like jelly. When she heard the knock on the door, the princess wobbly walked to answer it. Surprised to see her elder sister, the princess then had a look of panic across her face. "Rinku?! Oh gods, is it Mama?! Papa?!"

“What?” Rinku was shocked that was the first jump Kanisa went to. “Not at all. Didn’t realize I was the arbiter for doom and gloom. Give me a hug and let me in from the cold?”

"It's not like you to come without announcement so of course I assumed the worst! You scared me!" Kanisa ushered Rinku inside, out of the cold. "But I am glad that our parents are all right and you're okay. To what do I owe the visit?"

After a hug, Rinku pulled her winter coat off to reveal a nice green tunic. She didn’t like to wear the hat. Placing the cradle down, she opened it up to reveal a sleeping Twili toddler boy. “Well, I got a problem I’m hoping you can help solve.”

"...?!?!?!" Kanisa's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. "You have a kid?!"

“It’s not my kid Kanisa. Look closely. This remind you of anyone?”

"I thought you adopted, but... this... wait." Kanisa gently moved the blanket out of the way a touch more. She sat down with a loud thud, shocked. "This is a Twili. How in the world did you get your hands on a Twili?"

“It suddenly appeared at the castle a week ago. After speculation on what to do, I looked into records of any Twili who might be present in our realm. Imagine my surprise when I found one working with you off all people. Made a quick visit to my baby little darling sister to find this Twili named Ocax. Maybe I can dig some answers from him.”

"Oh goodness..." Kanisa felt terribly sorry for the poor little thing. It was just a baby, how in the world could it survive in this world without care? Not to mention, she thought the parents had to be worried sick. "Ocax fell through a portal, so maybe this little one did too. He has not had any luck on finding a way back to the Twilight Realm as far as I know. Or if he has, he doesn't want to. You can ask him what you wish, but, I"m not sure if he'll have all the answers."

“Alright.” Rinku plopped her hand in her palm. “Where does he live? I’ll go see him.”

"On top of the hill, near the lake." Kanisa pointed out the window to the landmark. "It's the only house with a multiple stone pathways, and one even leading to the water. Seer is blind, so he uses that to help him find his way around."

“Great. Shouldn’t be a problem.” Rinku smiled at Kanisa, looking around. “Where’s Wolfe and the kids?”

"Vidar is training the rookies today and the kids are doing chores." Kanisa told Rinku, "And I'm here doing paperwork for the king and queen. You ought to return for dinner. I'm fixing roasted duck."

Rinku picked up the cradle and nodded. “Love to.” The blonde hero walked away, waving goodbye for the moment. “Let’s hope Wolfe can behave long enough to keep his hands off you.”

"Rinku, as much as I'd love to assure you that is a possible outcome, we both know it isn't." Kanisa laughed. "I'd have more kids if my pregnancy was not so rough with Audlin, but Vidar did not want to take the chance."

~

Ocax was deep into giving Seer head when a knock came at the door. “Hoosh izh ish?”

Seer was enjoying the oral administrations when a rude knock was heard. "Just ignore them and they'll go away." Seer said, irritated at the interruption.

“Open the damn door! Order from the top authority!” Ocax pulled out, panting loudly for a moment. “Who... company?”

"Damn it all to fucking hell." Seer growled under his breath, quickly feeling for his robe. "I'll handle this, love." The orca Direnor kissed Ocax's cheek. "Give me one moment and I'll be back." Tromping to the front door, Seer yanked the front door open with the nastiest glare he could muster. "Someone either be dead or dying, or you must be here to give me Adda's head on a plate, because you have interrupted a most critical mating season ritual and I. Am. Not. Happy."

“Hey blind man. Long time no see.” Rinku snickered. “You gonna pull up your pants?”

"...?" Seer sniffed the air a couple of times. Adjusting his robe, he had very little modesty during mating season, but did not want to continue to flash the poor woman. "... oh. What are you doing here, Rinku?"

“I have problem you and Ocax can solve for me.”

The Twili man ran forward, fixing his appearance. “I’m so, so, so sorry for his behaviour. What can we do for you?”

“I’m here to ask you a few questions about the Twili. And to deliver this child.”

"I'm not sorry." Seer huffed, still annoyed that his lovey time with Ocax was paused. "And if this is another one of Adda's brats, you're out of luck, I haven't seen her in years, therefore there is reasoning this kid can't be mine---ow!" Seer jolted when he felt Ocax's elbow hit his side, warning him to be nice.

Rinku revealed the kid, and Ocax gasped. “A Twili child?!”

"...?! A what?!" Seer's jaw almost dropped. "... I swear to Rotar and Handeh, if Towa is playing a prank on us, I will boot her ass into the lake."

Ocax was careful to examine the child. “It’s a boy. It’s a Twili boy.”

"Should I even ask where you found him?" Seer felt a confused, and most of all, slightly worried. Caring for two human girls was one thing, but another species might be out of his grasp. "And... who left him?"

“We don’t know who left him. But we just found him wandering around the castle.”

Ocax frowned, remembering his own detail. “It could have been either an accident or they could have been thrown away.”

"Is he healthy from what you can tell?" Seer carefully bent down on one knee, feeling of the baby carrier. Gently, he found the blanket and then the kid's cheek. He was sleeping, and had... the Direnor almost gushed. The kid had those adorable curved ears... just like his lover! "Is he hungry? Does he need changing?"

Rinku took a whiff and plugged her nose. “Yeah. You want me to clean him?”

Ocax was puzzled, trying to figure out this baby. “Perhaps we can send it down to the orphanage for now.”

"What? The orphanage? No, no, Seija already has too many kids there, she doesn't have time for this little guy." Seer simply picked up the carrier and took the kid inside of the house. Mating season also brought out the drive to protect and nurture the young. This little one was like his lover and would have proper care. "I'll change him. Ocax, please get Rinku a snack if she's hungry. There's some leftover cheese and grapes if she wants some."

“But Seer. Surely we need to think this over.”

"It's just until Rinku gets some answers, right?" Seer downplayed Ocax's worry. "I mean, surely his parents are looking for him. They're probably in Hyrule right now or maybe looking for him. If Twili are anything like Abyssians, they'll have that link to their offspring and be here soon, probably within a fortnight or so." He assured his lover. "Don't worry, it's just for a night. Rinku needs her questions answered and a place to stay, and the little one needs a bit of care. Nothing much."

“Well, can I stay anywhere where Direnor’s aren’t in heat?”

“I know this will have my attention for a while.”

"Considering that Direnors are in mating season right now, your best bet would be to stay at the local inn if you don't want to interrupt anymore sex." Seer then suggested. "Besides, this is just for a night until we reach a conclusion on what to do."

“Hmmm. You know, I always wanted to take a deeper look into the old abandoned castle now that it’s king is gone.” Rinku smiled, petting Seer’s head. “Good luck with the baby.”

Seer took the little one into Liz's and Lex's old room to change his diaper. The tiny boy was fussing something fierce, but Seer shushed him. He seemed healthy, had a head full of hair, and a set of lungs to rival a shrieking lady. After swaddling him, Seer simply placed the boy into a sling he made. Then, he returned to the living area where Ocax was waiting.

"It's just for a night. He'd probably feel better around someone like him." Seer then asked once more, "Didn't you tell me that Twili are more at ease around their own species?"

“Anyone is more at ease with their own species. But I don’t like babies. They poo, they crawl over the place and-“ Right on the dot, the little toddler started to cry some more. “And they do that.”

"Heh, if you don't like kids, then you would have had a time with Liz and Lex when they were small. They cried a lot." Seer bounced the little one to try to soothe him. "It was worth it though. I've missed having a little one in the house, but it will be good for Rinku to have a break before she comes back to get him. I'm sure his parents have to be looking for him. If my Liz and Lex suddenly disappeared, I'd search for them."

“Well, it’s a possibility they could have thrown the baby away.”

"...?! They would... do that?" Seer looked disturbed. "Why? From what I can tell, the kid is healthy."

“Because it can be a form of execution.” Ocax sat down, fiddling with a pin on his shirt collar. “If Twili don’t have gateway stones, they can never return to the twilight realm. So with that in mind, we have ripples our people can open up to fling undesirables through your come here in the world of light. We can also adjust where we throw a Twili to, be that an ocean to drown or a burning desert. Sometimes though accidents happen near these ripples and one can accidentally be sent through. I’m imaging someone didn’t want to be a parent and just sent their baby to a nice castle.”

"Poor thing." Seer frowned when Ocax explained how easily a baby could be tossed away like trash. It made him think of how slaves were treated, how he was treated in the brothel all those years ago. The thought made him shiver slightly. "Do you really think we should take him to Seija? Or should we try to find Towa?"

The mention of Towa made Ocax visibly sad. “No. Towa can’t help us.” Sighing, he grabbed his glasses and cleaned them with a soft rubbing cloth. “I don’t know how to take care of a baby, I’ll be honest Seer. I’m going to go to work, so we can figure out what to do. Tomorrow, we can head to Seija’s.”

"All right." Seer stood, carefully putting the baby back into the small carrier. "I'll make it up to you tonight." He nuzzled Ocax, sliding his hands down his lover's sides. "I'll do that thing you like with my tongue..."

The boy cried again, and Ocax used that as an excuse to leave. “I’m running behind on work anyways. Have fun Seer.” Walking about, the little Twili made his way to the kitchen, reaching for some pans.

Seer heard the tiny kid moving around and gently scooped him up from the floor. The Direnor had this pet peeve about others messing around in his kitchen. It was not safe for a little one to be near all of his utensils anyhow. "I can't just keep calling you kid..." Seer mused as the baby fussed, still wanting the pans. Seer decided to occupy him with a snack. Luckily, he always kept fresh fruit peeled and ready thanks to Ocax. He heard the child munching on the apple and then suggested, "You need a name. How about... Echo?"

The little toddler threw the apple to the floor, the bouncing echoing on the wooden planks.

"I guess not. I could call you grumpy if you tempt me enough." Seer wondered if the child still needed a bottle.

The toddler babbled as it looked around for something important to it.

"If you're looking for your parents, I'm afraid they're not here, little one." Seer had a habit of talking to kids normally, just as he did when Liz and Lex were little. "Evidently, you either fell through a portal or they didn't..." He paused not finishing that thought. "So, you're going to stay with me for tonight until we find a better candidate to take care of you."

Falling back, the baby caught itself, wanting to crawl away again.

"I suppose you need a bit of a distraction, don't you?" Seer considered it was pure luck that he still had a few of his daughters' old baby toys. Little Val still played with them from time to time, but she preferred to be outside. He fetched a few of the toys from the closet and set them out in front of the child to entertain him. Blocks were always a good choice, there were some stuffed animals, and even a few carved wooden figures.

The toddler grabbed the stuffed wolf closely, babbling something once more. It sounded worried, yet comforted by the wolf.

"I'm sorry that you're sad, little one. I promise I'll take care of you while you're here with me though." Seer assured the little kid the best he could. He tried to entertain the child by moving around another stuffed animal, imitating a form of play. "You're safe. I just wish I knew your name."

“Papa.” The little Twili looked at Seer in the eyes and said the same thing again. “Pa-pa.”

Seer just wanted to melt when he heard the adorable voice. It was not right to encourage the name. He was not the boy's father. Yet, Ocax did not like children but... Seer absolutely loved little ones. "Oh... you're such a cutie pie." Seer tickled the kid's belly. "Yes, you can call me Papa."

“Papa!” The little Twili said it more enthusiastically and laughed as Seer tickled him.

"I... got you!" Seer scooped up the little boy and blew raspberries on his tummy. He loved to play with little ones. It reminded him of how he used to play hide and seek with Liz and Lex around the house, pretending he could not hear them from the other room. "On nom nom."

~

Ocax returned from a long day of work. It was harder with Kanisa more or less held captive by her husbands love making, but he was able to meet all the requirements for the day. Finished, he was about to open the door when he heard laughter coming from inside. Was that Lex?

“Aren’t you adorable? I’m Lex. Alexandria the great! You’re a beautiful little guy aren’t you?”

"And watch this, Lex, watch this, he's so smart!" Seer tapped his shadow. The little one had nearly made him shit a brick when he disappeared for five minutes. He then realized the child was hiding in his shadow and drew the curtains. "Come on. You can do it."

Ocax walked in without the adults noticing. He was astonished when he saw the toddler hide into Seer’s shadow.

"Give him a minute... and now..." Seer gently tapped the floor in front of him, signaling for the child to come back.

The baby popped out and Lex screeched with joy. “Oooooooo that’s so neat! When did Ocax pop out the little guy?”

“I did no such thing.” Ocax announced his presence.

"Lex, you know Ocax is male, and as far as I know, male Twilis cannot give birth." Seer praised the little boy, offering a sweet strawberry for a reward. "Who's so smart? You are, yes, you are!"

“I’m thinking of delivering the kid to Seija tomorrow. Should be a good day for her.”

"I... yes, I guess it will be a good day." Seer halfheartedly agreed as he set the kid in his lap, giving him the tiny stuff wolf.

“Oh no. You bonded with him, didn’t you?”

“How could he not?” Lex went to grab a bottle of breast milk from the fridge. “He’s a little mini you!”

"And those... ears..." Seer was gushing. "Look at how cute! Reminds me of how Ocax's ears twitch when I kiss him." He then took the bottle from Lex. "Thank you for bringing this over. He seems to be very picky about some solid foods."

“I’m here to please.”

Ocax took a seat, rubbing his temple. “Seer. A baby is a lot of work. And you’re not as young as you used to be.”

"I'm wounded, Ocax, you think I'm old?" Seer had a cheeky grin on his face. "Says the man who has trouble keeping up with me?"

“Can you even look after this child’s needs? It seems you like to act like one yourself from time to time.”

Now that hurt and it was uncalled for. The blind man had raised two lovely daughters and was always helping out from time to time with his grandchildren. Seer had a look of annoyance on his face. Even if Ocax did not want the child around, there was no need to insult him.

"Lex, would you mind helping me prep the carrier tonight?" He decided to ignore his lover's foul mood for the moment and focus on the little one. "I don't have a crib and he'll need somewhere to sleep until tomorrow."

“Course dad.”

Ocax saw the baby crawl towards him. Raising an eyebrow, he picked the toddler up to have an eye staring contest with the boy. It babbled a bit before burping. “You have thick blankets for him? I don’t think he’ll like the cold of Uskar.”

"I have Liz's and Lex's old baby blankets that are made of wool. They should serve perfectly." Seer stated as Ocax picked up the child. He was not sure what was going through his lover's mind, but there was no reason to be discourteous. As Lex helped him make up the carrier, Seer was sure to place the little wolf with the child.

Ocax brushed his hair back, opening the current up so the moonlight shone on the toddler. It seemed to sooth him enough to calm down and sleep. “Perfect amount of shadow and light. We’ll have to wake up early to close the blinds before the sun hits him.”

"I'll be up anyhow to fix breakfast." Seer heard the little one yawn. "What do you think we should call him? We can't keep calling him kid."

“Fyrir the unknown. How about that?”

"What do you think?" Seer asked the wee one who was dozing off. "You like it, Fyrir?"

Little Fyrir said nothing as he dozed off.

“That’s what I’m calling him.”

"I think Lex and I do agree on one thing," Seer stated. "If he was tossed out, then whoever it was made a grave mistake."

“Just tell me straight if you want to keep him.”

"... you don't like kids." Seer stated, letting the insinuation hang in the air.

“But I love you. And I want to see you happy. I work hard to see you happy... would having the kid around make you happy?” The little charm in his voice, Ocax let his own insinuation counter Seer’s.

"I love you as well, and I am happy. I just..." Seer sighed, bending down as stroking the little Twili's hair. "I feel so sorry for him. You and Towa were cut off from your home. He was... either tossed aside or fell through a portal. I can only imagine how lonely he'd be without someone to care for him."

Ocax placed his hand on Seer’s back, pretending to be nonchalant. “We’ll, I suppose we have no choice but to look after him then and give him the care he needs right now.”

"... are you sure? I don't want you to be miserable. I love kids, and I wish I had more, but... you are my lover. My husband." Seer kissed Ocax's forehead. "Are you happy too?"

“You want me to change my mind? Could always throw the brat out in the cold.”

"No!" Seer huffed at his lover's teasing. "He's staying."

Ocax folded his arms. “Then good. That’s that.”

~

"Come on, little one, that's it! You're doing so good!" Seer praised Fyrir as he heard the tiny footsteps stumble in his direction. He was down on his knees, coaxing the boy to come to him. "You're walking so well now! Soon, I'll teach you how to swim."

“Swim. Swim.”

Ocax shook his head, looking outside at the snow fall. Had it really been a month since they adopted Fyrir? “Seer. The waters will be freezing cold. He’s only just starting to get adjusted to direct sunlight.”

"Well... maybe a little later for the lake, but for now, you can practice in the tub." Seer picked up Fyrir and held him above his head, earning giggles from the boy. "He's a smart one like you, love. Imagine, he might be helping you with your work one day. What do you say, Fyrir? You want to help Daddy with papers?"

“Pa-“ the little Twili paused for ten seconds, then. “-per!”

Ocax’s heart melted at the enthusiasm.

"Yes! Yes, that's right! Paper! Pa-per." Seer repeated for the boy, kissing his cheek. "So smart! You're learning so fast. What is Papa going to do when he can't keep up with you anymore? I suppose you'll have to wait on him, right?" He then set the Twili back down on his feet, turning him in Ocax's direction. "Walk to Daddy. Come on, you can do it."

“Seer. I don’t think-“

Ocax stopped as he looked down to see Fyrir pull on his leg. “Da. Da.”

"See? He knows who you are already." Seer chuckled as Fyrir insisted on Ocax picking him up, hearing his little arms wave. "Are you hungry? I could fix you something to eat while I heat up Fyrir's milk."

“Feel bad taking from Alexandria so much. We really should start moving him to store bought.”

"I do too, but when we tried that last mixture, he barfed for a whole hour straight." Seer made a small crinkle of disgust with his nose. "Maybe I should try some pureed foods..."

“Or water perhaps.” Ocax patted Fyrir on the head as he finished off some documents for a Kanisa. “That should do it.”

"Do you think it's too early to teach him how to read?" Seer asked as he started taking some plates from the cabinets to prepare lunch for his lover and child. Fyrir had learned fairly quickly that the kitchen was a no-no. After dropping a pan on his own foot, the little one was more cautious. "He seems to like looking at picture books."

“I think we’ll have to wait for a while on words Seer. But picture books are fine.”

Ocax got up, picking up his son with him. “I have to go to work now, but daddy is here to look after you.”

"We'll have fun, won't we, Fyrir?" Seer took the boy from his husband. "And we will have fun later tonight." The Direnor purred at Ocax. "The silk ties I ordered came in from Hyrule and we should put them to good use."

Ocax lightly smiled. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

"You're irresistible, if anything, it's your own fault." Seer gave Ocax a kiss. "Take a jacket. It's supposed to snow later today. I can feel it."

“I’ll dress appropriately for any coming storm.”

~

Hyrule castle was preparing for another beautiful morning when a storm rang in. In the armoury it was quiet as a mouse. Suddenly, breaking that silence came a ripple in space. With a screech, two shadowy figures dropped down.

Unfortunately, the rookie was completing his rounds when the two monsters suddenly appeared. Startled, he started shouting, "INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS!"

The Twili mother whirled her hair. Her dreadlocks flung out, grabbing the soldier by the hands and throat.

The guard struggled wildly, trying to cut at her hair with his dagger, but she had his hands tied.

“Rwak Trei Kal Wry?!!”

"I..." The guard coughed, hardly able to speak. "Don't... understand!"

The Twili’s cold mask didn’t give away a change of pace. “Where is my child?!!”

"... child?!" The guard was beginning to see spots. "It... Uskar!!!" He was starting to panic. "It's in... Uskar!!!"

The Twili turned to her companion. “Uskar?”

The Abyssian was blending in with the shadows. The minimal sunlight peeking through the windows would scorch him if he was not careful. "A country of shapeshifters... to the North."

The Twili frightening mask turned back to the soldier she held captive. “World map. Or I pop you.”

"In... library!" The guard managed to rasp, starting to lose consciousness.

"I can smell him here. The scent is faint." The husband murmured to his wife. "We must find the one who took him."

“Go to library. Say nothing.” The Twili forcibly hid in the guards shadow. “Unless you wish to die.”

"I will ensure he says nothing." The Abyssian father then slipped into the guard's body, entering his mind. "I can see the world map from in here, my mate. It seems to get to Uskar, we will have to board a ship. It is sea locked."

“Too long. Too LONG!” This mother felt that even a day was too long in catching up to her son. “Give me coordinates.”

"There are three different ports. Our best guess for answers would be in the largest." The Abyssian started reading off the coordinates to his mate. "I do not know of these 'Direnors' that live there. They could be hostile."

“We are hostile. We are enough.” The Twili took the guard to an open tower area. Leaving him, she raised a sphere to the sky and started an enchantment.

Down below, Rinku happened to be wondering by, when her eyes caught the shadowy figures. “By Nayru.”

Before she could reach them, the Twili opened a portal in the sky. With that, herself and her husband broke apart into shadow particles and flew high into the portal above.

Reaching the guard, Link shook him awake. “Young man. Status report!”

"Urgh..." The guard held his throbbing head, feeling like he had drank one too many beers. "Princess Rinku?" He blinked a few times before stammering. "They... I swear, it was Midna here! I swear it! I'm not drunk, my head is just killing me! I must have been hallucinating!"

“More like Shadow Beast. I felt an Abyssian was here too. Do you know where they are going?”

"They said something about that strange kid you found a while back." The guard stood on his feet. "Wanting to find it."

Rinku’s adrenaline kicked in more than it already did. Kanisa. “Get up. Go tell Zarazu an Abyssian and Twili have broken through into Hyrule. I’m heading to Uskar immediately.”

"Y-Yes, m'am!" The guard hurried to find the reagent queen and hoped to the goddesses above another war was not coming.

~

“Kanisa. Do you have any idea how nice it is to not have your husband ravage you when he has a baby to look after?” Ocax was in an odd mode, actually enjoying the cold winter air for once.

Kanisa blushed slightly, trying to keep a composed face. The topic of intercourse still made her feel embarrassed, even after all these years. At least here in Uskar, it was normal to talk about sex like any other topic. "Well, I don't mind Vidar's... affections." She cleared her throat. "Why? Seer draining you of energy? All you have to do is just say no, you know."

“He has. But having a baby keeps him focused. Which lets me be focused on my work.”

"Ah, so you're saying that he needed a distraction. From you." Kanisa actually giggled. "Dare I say that you are finding it hard to concentrate?"

“You don’t? We have our duties you know. Our husbands can’t just use us and steal us away whenever they get a rut.”

"Oh, I think King Torbjorn would beg to differ whenever Queen Brigritta is in a rut." Kanisa sipped her tea. "Last time it was three days behind on paperwork I think."

“It’s insane how we have to try and keep up with their freakish nature at times.” From behind them, twelve feet to their left, a group of deer scampered away. “Huh. Wonder who lost their catch.”

"From the way I see it, the desire can be flattering, but also... occupying." Kanisa had to agree with Ocax. "It is hard to get a few things done when Vidar is demanding my attention. Yet, at least Seer seems very happy with you and little one. He always wanted more kids." As the deer ran away, Kanisa shrugged. "I suppose someone was being too loud."

“I feel like being a father is something Seer is simply naturally good at.” Ocax smiled, giving a sigh. “I wonder if he ever had any help in raising Lex and Liz. I’m glad I can give him help now.”

Above them, the clouds started to shift around, expanding to blot out the suns light.

"Seer had his family and friends helping from time to time, but mainly, it was just him." Kanisa told Ocax. "He was crushed when he found out that Lex and Liz were not biologically his. Yet, he still loved them the same. There was a lot of strife for a long while between them, I think, because of that reason. Seer hid it from them because he didn't want to hurt them, and it just blew up in his face. Though now, I think everything is good."

“How’d you feel finding two little Gerudo when you came here? Must have been nice, no?”

"Oh, I met them before they came here. Orana is my sister, and Corsaire's husband." Kanisa told Ocax with a smile. "They were adorable as babies. Lex refused to be put down and Liz wanted to explore everything. Seer had his hands full, that's for sure."

“Not to mention that Revy girl. Has she always been rambunctious?” Ocax laughed at the thought.

"I have no clue where she gets that energy from." Kanisa shook her head. "It was nearly impossible for Rat to keep her in one spot for long. She cannot sit still."

“Well, she is an electric-“ Ocax stopped, the colour in his face draining away. His feet felt cemented into the ground as he saw the war mask of a Twili. Behind that Twili was a massive shadow.

“Found you.”

“Oh. Oh no.”

As soon as the mask appeared, Kanisa released a shrill scream, stomping on it. She then yanked Ocax to his feet, and started to run.

Bursting from the snow, the Twili made her physical form known. With a spear in hand she stabbed at Ocax’s leg, catching him through the thigh. With a grunt he fell to the ground. “Kanisa! Run!”

As soon as Ocax fell, the male Abyssian pinned him and roared, "Where is he?!" "Ocax!!!" Kanisa skidded in the snow, nearly losing her balance when the Twili was suddenly pierced. She was in disbelief. It was... a Twili! And an Abyssian to boot! How in the seven hells did they get here?! There was nothing she could do right now. The princess had a dagger, but she doubted it would be useful against a creature of shadow. There was no textbook on how to fight a Twili... except for sunlight. Any kind of light. With gritted teeth, she shot a burst of concentrated lightning at the Twili... only to have it blocked by the Abyssian with a blast of darkness.

“Who?!” Ocax was terrified. He’d never met an Abyssian before, and being pinned and injured he was as helpless as a child.

The Twili presented her spear at Ocax’s throat. “MY SON!!!”

Seer has sensed the commotion before any of the others. His lack of sight aided him in perceiving what was happening, even if he was not close to the event. Ocax was in trouble. Releasing a series of whistles and clicks, Seer allowed his family to know there were intruders before handing Fyrir to Bjarke. He was visiting his friend so Naira could give Fyrir a checkup when he heard his lover's distress.

"...?! You're looking for Fyrir?!" Kanisa held her dagger tightly, trying to think of what to do. Abyssians, she could not let him get near her shadow. He'd possess her. For now, she had to buy time. "How did you get through the portal?!"

“Gate stone.” Ocax muttered out.

The Twili mother looked to Kanisa, pressing a hand on the ground. Lifting her hand up she drew a spear of darkness. With it, she chucked it towards the Princess. “Give us our son!!!”

Kanisa managed to avoid the spear, thanking the goddesses that she kept up with her exercises. "I don't have your son!"

"Lies!" The Abyssian snarled. "We can smell him on this filth," He shoved Ocax's face into the snow. "And you."

"He's not here!"

"Where is he?!"

She had to think. Seer would come. He would know. He had that creepy sense of knowing when something was wrong. Yet, he could not fight them well on land. The lake... it was still covered with snow. If she led them in that direction... "Please, don't hurt Ocax further." Kanisa assured the Twili and Abyssian. "I'll take you there if you follow me."

The Twili screamed in agony as a light arrow struck her directly in the back. Another was fired at the Abyssian within a second so that Ocax could have chance to crawl away. Their attacker was Rinku, who was wearing her green garb and drawing a Hylian shield and the Master Sword. The Blade hummed lightly in the presence of the Abyssian. “Get away from them you monsters.”

Kanisa quickly yanked Ocax away from the intruders as the Abyssian snatched his lover and descended into the shadows of the ground. "Rinku!" Kanisa exclaimed. "They're here for the kid!"

Rinku saw a shadow creep towards her, and stabbed the Master Sword into it. Never again would she be possessed. As the Twili and Abyssian fled from the ground, the mother snarled. “She’s mine. Go after the man before he can flee with our son!” Ocax was already hopping along with Kanisa to the lake.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were heavier than my brother." Kanisa struggled to help Ocax along the lake. She had to be careful with her footsteps. The ice could give at anytime. "How does Seer lift you?" Suddenly, the male Abyssian appeared in front of them with a growl. "I'll give you one last chance before I rip you to shreds." He warned the pair, tentacles of darkness appearing at his sides. "Where is my son?!"

Seer, however, was already in the water, swimming in the direction of the princess and his lover. He could feel their footsteps on the ice above him. Then... there was the intruder. His scent was faint, but it was there. It was as if he could move through air. That wouldn't save him. With a mighty swing of his tail, Seer busted through the air, jaws wide. He managed to take the Abyssian by surprise and dragged him under by his leg.

Ocax fell back, shock on multiple levels taking him.

Rinku and the Twili hunter danced in combat for a moment, with hair tendrils and spear lunges trying to take the hero down. Wise beyond her years, and not wanting to prolong this conflict when she could go assist her sister, Rinku ended the conflict. With a shield bash to the Twili’s face to stun her, Rinku leapt into the air with spin of her body, lashing in a saw motion at the Twili’s head. Her blade cut the helmet clean in half, and the Twili fell to the ground with a light gash in her face. Spinning around, Rinku pointed her sword at the woman’s throat. This wasn’t Midna. This was a threat to her family. “Who are you? No lies.”

Rinku saw panic and fear that was hard to fake. “I’m here for my son. Nothing more. He became lost to this world. We’re here to take him back. I just want my Seikro back.”

The Abyssian male struggled under the water within Seer's grasp. His leg was crushed by the whale's jaws. Finally, he managed to get free when he whacked Seer across the face with one of his tentacles, the spikes digging into the orca's flesh. Seer shook his head to be rid of the pain and the Abyssian hurriedly swam to the surface, crawling through the hole in the ice. Kanisa had managed to drag Ocax to land, away from the breakage.

Rinku’s eyes gleamed at the Twili, her fingers tapping the hilt of the Master Sword. Reading the woman’s face and recalling features of the child she delivered she called out for her sister to come to her. “Kanisa!”

"...?!" Kanisa's attention jerked to Rinku. "What?! I'm kind of occupied here!" She gestured to the wounded Ocax, trying to bind his leg with her scarf, and tied it tight. Just as she finished, the Abyssian male caught her eye. Yelping, the princess held out her dagger. "Go away!" Seer, however, was not far behind. The ice was thicker near the land. With a loud squeal, he surfaced, trying to wiggle his way to the Abyssian to end him. "By Mracni, call your whale off! We're here for our son! You kidnapped him! We want him back!"

“Where’s the toddler Kanisa?” Rinku kept her blade at the Twili’s neck. Her mind was on the Abyssisn not to far away though.

"I... I think Seer took him to Bjarke's house to see Naira." Kanisa gulped, watching the Abyssian closely. "For a checkup. He wanted to make sure he was adjusting okay to the cold weather here."

Seer, however, had shifted back on the ice. "What's going on?" He demanded. "Why are you attacking my husband?!" He sniffed, smelling Ocax's blood. "I'll have both of your heads for this!"

"Seer, please! Calm down!" Kanisa implored the Direnor. "They're here for Fyrir!"

"...?!?! What?!"

“Give us back our son!” The Twili mother said once more, however, this time with fear in her voice. Rinku shook her head in disappointment. She should have known this was a possibility. For Ocax, he had his own feelings. None too happy.

"What do you mean 'your son'?!" Seer snapped angrily. "You threw him away! He's ours now, we're taking care of him!"

"Seer, I have a feeling that Fyrir might have accidently found a portal... either that, or someone tossed him to get back at the parents." Kanisa was trying to remain level-headed throughout this incident. "Otherwise, why would they risk being stranded here to find him?"

"We've been searching for him for nearly a whole day!" The Abyssian exclaimed. "And we found his scent through the portal!"

"A whole day? He's been with us for over a month!"

“You lie!” The mother shouted furiously at Seer. Ocax, wincing the stand up, walked over to the Twili mother. It saddened him, but he spoke to her in his native tongue. “Hunter. Do you know of the Zalant clan?”

She was surprised for a moment, but nodded. “I do.”

“Do you remember Ocax and Towa?”

“... Yes. I-“ the moment she realized who she was talking to, she gasped. “You’ve almost been gone for over two years!”

“Lady. It’s been over 30 years.” Ocax sighed, his scientific discovery disturbing him. “Time must be different for our realms.”

Ocax had taught Seer a little of his native tongue. He was able to understand a few pieces here and there, mainly the mention of Towa and his lover. And something about time. "I'm not lying!" Seer growled, "We've been taking care of him ever since Rinku brought him here! He's safe, happy, and talking non-stop!"

The Abyssian felt a bit nauseated by the fact of how time flowed differently. Any longer, anymore struggles to find a rip to get here, and their son would have been grown.

“Where he is? Where is my son?” Ocax watched the desperation leave the Twili mom, being replaced by a tired tone. Maybe it was hopelessness. Maybe it was the blood loss. Either way, he sighed. “Kanisa, can you go find Fyrir?”

"I can---"

"No!" Seer interrupted Kanisa almost immediately. "Ocax, they want to take him away! What are you saying?!"

"Seer, it's their kid."

"I know that!"

"You can't keep---"

"But he's ours now." Seer now looked desperate, almost panicked at the thought of having to give up the little one. "I don't want to lose him!"

"Seer, be rational!" Kanisa wanted to kick some sense into the Direnor. "These are Fyrir's parents who came looking for him. Don't be the bad guy. You even said yourself that they might come looking for him."

"I was hoping they wouldn't."

Ocax walked up to Seer, placing his hands to grip his shoulders. “Seer. Do you want to be like Adda?” A low blow, but the truth. “I won’t be complicit in kidnapping. Let’s... let’s just see Fyrir’s reaction.”

"... no." Seer finally spoke after taking a breath. He had grown attached to Fyrir. His fists clenched; he did not want to let him go. Once Fyrir was brought to group by Kanisa, the little one was fussing at being woken from his nap.

Fyrir was yawning, but the instant he saw his mother, a light filled his eyes. “Mama! Mama!” The Twili held her hands out for her son as he excitedly turned into shadows through Kanisa’s grip and into her mothers. “Oh Seikro! Oh my baby boy!” She squeezed and held him tightly, never wanting to let go again.

Seer felt so heavy. He heard the excitement in Fyrir's voice. So, it was time then. His parents came for him. It was if a wave of sadness had washed over the Direnor. "Seikro!" The Abyssian limped to his son with a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right. We looked everywhere for you!"

“Papa!”

And that made him feel worse. He was Papa, not that... that... other one.

"We... apologize for any misunderstandings." Kanisa spoke to the Abyssian and Twili, still a little guarded. "Seer and Ocax were caring for Fyrir... I mean, Seikro, in your absence."

His name wasn't Seikro, it was Fyrir. Seer was angry, upset, and above all, just wondering why he was granted another little touch of love for it to be gone once more.

Ocax saw the Twili mother take out a gate stone. A small part of his core twinged in agony. Before meeting Seer, this was all he wanted. The mother was activated the stone with magic and it flew into the air, changing shape. They were going to leave so quickly. “Tell me. How is Towa? Is she happy?”

“Towa?”

“Yes. She left sometime ago to find a way home. I assume she made it.”

“Towa does not live among us.” The stone cracked open a portal directly to the Twilight Realm. “Thank you. For taking care of our son.”

"Please, wait!" Seer called out before the parents took off. "Please, just... let me say goodbye?"

Little ‘Fyrir’ looked towards Seer, giggling with a laugh and waving a tiny hand. Then just like that, particle after particle they disappeared into the portal.

Fyrir was gone. Seer would probably never hear him again. Direnors, Hylians, no one except kin of Interlopers were welcome in the Twilight Realm. The blind man just looked defeated.

Rinku finally put away her weapons, sighing as she walked towards the couple and her sister. “Look. Part of me feels responsible for this outcome. I probably could have let you avoid the hassle had I saw this as a possibility first hand.”

Seer said nothing, still reeling over the fact that Fyrir was taken away so easily. It brought back unpleasant memories of when Adda tried to kidnap the twins. That feeling of... of failure, of loss, of desperation to do anything to protect those little ones filled his being. Why did they have to come looking for him? Couldn't he had loved Fyrir just the same? Was he horrible for wanting to keep the little one?

"You could not have anticipated them attacking us, Rinku." Kanisa told her sister. "We all thought he was simply tossed aside."

“Well... none of you got killed. I’ll call that a better defeat then my last one at the interlopers.” Pulling out an Ocarina, she sighed. “Should be getting back home. Teleportation is not easy to do in a pinch. Think I might give myself a heart attack with all the adrenaline.”

Ocax looked to his husband, holding him close. “We can get through this.”

"I... want to go home." Seer stated quietly. "I need to rest after a sudden shift like that."

“Ok...”

~

The rest of the day and night Ocax stayed up in inner turmoil. To be honest, losing a son like that affected him too. He was just opening up to the idea of being a father. And Towa... was she dead? He never gave it much thought. Why had she never come back all these years to visit if she had failed in her quest? These depressing thoughts were too much. It was best he sorted them out. The next day, he forced Seer to go on a walk with him. “Quit your belly aching. You’ve brooded enough in the last 24 hours.”

"I have the right to brood, Fyrir was yanked from us without warning." Seer snapped at his lover, not in the mood for a lecture, still sour. "We did not get to say goodbye, that damn Twili woman attacked you, and the Abyssian tried to hurt Kanisa."

“I know. I know. But, if you trust me, I think we’ll have a situation.” Opening a door, Ocax lead Seer inside. “Seija! We’re here.”

"Oh! Good timing, Ocax! We're just about to---" Seija was interrupted by a loud noise upstairs.

CRASH!

She winced, groaning slightly. "... bake cookies... and we could use the help of an experienced cook."

“Yes. We’d like to help, but I brought Seer and myself to discuss the matter of adoption.”

"...?!" Seer was surprised by Ocax's statement. Adoption? He thought Ocax had no desire to raise any children. His lover did not seem too keen on Fyrir being with them at first. What changed his mind? "Oh, really?! That's wonderful!" Seija puffed up, her feathers standing highly on top of her head from happiness. "I'm sure you will love any of the kids. They're all wonderful really, just a little... rambunctious."

“I’m certain we can handle any challenge. May we meet the children?”

"Of course! Just... don't mention 'adoption' in front of them." Seija told the Twili and fellow Direnor. "I hate to put it this way, but I don't like them feeling like potential parents are 'window-shopping' if you know what I mean. If you find a child you just click with, great, but I hate getting the others' hopes up." "... are you sure?" Seer asked Ocax, now feeling slightly nervous.

“I am.” Ocax took his glasses to rub them clean. “I don’t like the idea of you being unhappy. I also don’t like having my work be taken away just as I was getting started. The idea of being a parent was exciting. I want to continue that. With you.”

"I wasn't that bad..." Seer was mildly flustered at Ocax's indication of the Direnor being rather demanding during mating season. "I do miss having little ones around the house. As much as I love our grandkids, it would be nice to have one that is... well... ours."

“I know.” Ocax nuzzled Seer close. “Will you be a father with me?”

"You know I will." Seer kissed the Twili affectionately, running his hands through the man's hair. "But that's not always going to save you from mating season."

“Well, you need to learn how to deal with blue balls in a while.” Ocax waved his horny mind away. “We have to be serious. For the children.”

"Serious as balls?" Seer teased with a grin, knowing just how to vex his lover. "Very well. Though, when the kid is asleep, all bets are off."

“Very well. Let’s get to be good parents.”

[mrneighbourlove]

Blue Stream: Ch 4. Love Floats Downstream

Scarlet was looking around for her eldest daughter, having just finished chopping meat up with a cleaver for the family. That girl was going to miss lunch. Was she drinking again? "Rat! You seen Revy?"

"Nay, I hasn't." Rat was currently heading out with a bucket of scraps to give to the pigs. "Trygve hasn't seen her either. I just talked to him and he's going to get the horses ready for plowing."

"When you see her, let her know that she missed out on beef sandwiches.

Revy wasn't drinking at the moment. In fact, she was quite sober, and currently working up the nerve to enter the orphanage. Why did the new spring weather bring heat waves? Was she sweaty from her heat or her nerves? Taking her shirt off the Gerudo was left with a red tanktop for her upper body. Walking to the door, she gave a knock, hoping that the owl woman would answer. Seija was the first person that Revy noticed. Made her feel flustered. Why? She’d been complimented by many from the brothels hoping to finally invite her in or hunting parties, but it never got to her. So why this new development now? She had to find out.

One of the orphaned kids answered the door, a stuffed toy rabbit underneath her arm. She was sucking her thumb, probably no more than a couple years old. Looking at Revy for a moment, she then darted back inside of the house.

“Wait! Don’t run!” Crap. Did she look scary?

"Flora!" Seija darted around the corner, Flora's twin, Fauna, on her back. She was trying to catch the little one to change her clothes. Why were toddlers faster than a cheetah? It was not fair! "I told you not to answer the door for strangers---oh!" The lady was very surprised that Revy was here.

“Hiiiii~” Revy smiled best she could, clicking her finger to Seija just as Lex instructed her to do. “How have things around the orphanage been?”

"They've been a little---" Seija winced as she heard a loud 'bang' from the kitchen. "Hectic for lack of better word. The older kids are trying to prepare lunch and I've been trying to get these two, " She gestured to the twins. "To settle down since they found the hidden cookie jar."

“Sounds like a handful. Would you like an extra hand?”

"That... that would be wonderful." Seija tried to wipe the flour on her cheek off with a sheepish smile. "If you don't mind?"

“I’ve handled two little siblings for a good part of my life now.” Revy stepped into the orphanage and decided to get their attention. “You kids want to see a magic trick?”

"If you could obtain their attention while I help with lunch preparation, then that would be wonderful." Seija hurried to the kitchen to make sure nothing was on fire and food would not be wasted. After a half hour or so, Seija appeared in the dining hall, setting up all the plates. There was even a dish for Revy, and she called everyone to eat.

Revy instantly got the little ones attention with her display of lightning sparking between her fingers. She even juggled a bolt, putting on a little dance for the wee ones. What got the older kids attention was when she took her eyepatch temporarily off, her missing eye illuminated with the glow of electricity. She told the tale of her fight against the terrible Onslaught and, unlike the adults of the bar, they were completely enamoured by her story. At the call of dinner, she cut it after speaking of how she and Twinrova turned him into dust. “Oh! Lunch time! I’ll take questions after!”

"Thank you for watching them." Seija sat down at the table and sighed, relieved that lunch was a success and nothing was burning or falling apart. "I'm not much of a cook but I hope you like it."

“Grilled cheese! Thank you!” Revy was happy that everything was going well. Seija seemed to like her help. Taking her seat, she had to lean down to eat at the small table. “So, I thought I could help with construction.”

"Construction? Are you a builder?" Seija asked Revy as she nibbled on her own food. "We could always use the help. I can't pay much, unfortunately."

“I’ll do it for free. I’ve helped rebuild houses before. Or my dads barn. It’s no biggie for someone like me.”

"Well, the least I could do is fix some food for you." Seija offered, feeling a bit guilty for accepting help without being able to pay. "I can make sure the kids stay out of the way."

“Your kids aren’t all that bad. Are all of you ok with me helping build that extension?”

"I would appreciate any help you could give," Seija admitted as Revy munched on her grilled cheese sandwich. "I'm not much of a builder, except for small projects. I can fix a broken toy and mend clothes, maybe a hole in the wall, but a whole addition is out of my hands." Seija elaborated. "There were five children, but the twins are new. At least they're young enough, only three years, to not recall what happened to their parents. So now, we're seven strong... and simply have no more room. Alva’s the oldest, she's a teenager and really needs her own space, even if it is small." Seija tried to think, showing Revy the crudely drawn plans. "Then Niklas and Oskar can show a room since they're both boys. Merete and Kyliki can have a bunk bed in the third room, but now, with the twins, we really need another room.”

“I need the workout. And I love to help people. Especially those who are in need.” Revy smiled as she gobbled her grilled cheese down. “Thank you for lunch. Now then. Where should I get started?”

“It'd be nice if we could have a large living area instead of all of us cramming into the kitchen or having to be outside in the cold."

Revy picked up a hammer, flipping it right side up. “I’ll get right on it.”

The work was long and hard, yet incredibly satisfying for Revy. By the time she was done, Revy was leaning against one completed wall. She took a towel one of the kids gave her and wiped the sweat away.

Scarlet had gotten worried that Revy was passed out from drinking again and sent Rat out to drag her back. What he found was cheers coming from the orphanage as Revy ran out to examine the outside of the wall she finished.

“One wall down! Only two more to go!”

Rat was not one to spy. No, that was usually Mojo's and Juju's job. However, today, Rat was doing some peeping of his own. His daughter had made some questionable choices lately, and both Borghild and Scarlet were worried. Standing behind a stack of barrels at the ale house, Rat watched as Revy worked on the orphanage. He was a little confused. Why was she spending her time here? She never showed any interest in becoming a caretaker. It was then the answer was revealed when Seija rounded the corner with fresh brownies from the oven. Revy was... ogling the orphanage's headmistress. "... well..." Rat said to himself with a shrug of his shoulders. "My girl has good taste!"

Revy didn’t know why her attention was so captured by this fluffy owl. Seija was like a sparkling snowflake. When she heard her dad, her spell was broken. “D-dad?! What are you doing here?”

"I'm... I'm getting a barrel of ale!" Rat quickly saved face by selecting a big barrel and paying the vendor. "Yep, barrel of ale for Mojo and Juju when they come for a visit. You just do whatever you're doing but be home in time for dinner. Your moms are fixing that grilled chicken you like!"

Revy looked at the brownies, feeling conflicted. “Hey Seija, can I have those wrapped up?”

"Of course! I'd hate to keep your... wait, moms?" Seija looked puzzled. "I thought Borghild was your mom?"

“Borghild is my god mother and the woman who raised me. Scarlet is my birth mother. She lives with Borghild and I. It’s why I’m Gerudo.”

"Oh! Okay, I understand now." Seija sheepishly admitted. "I thought you were adopted. Sorry."

“Scarlet was a pirate, so obviously couldn’t get raised by her at the time. Liz and Lex are adopted tho!” Revy didn’t know why she blurted that out.

"Oh, Liz who is dating the prince? I think that was mentioned once in a conversation." Seija made sure to wrap up the brownies in a cloth and handed the contents to Revy. "I hope you like them. You'll be here tomorrow?"

“Liz is married to Prince Halvar, actually.” Revy took the brownies from Seija and didn’t notice herself smiling like a happy puppy. “I’d love to come back.”

"Yes, of course! I'm sure even after you're finished working, the kids would love to have some time to get to known you." Seija offered. "Wednesday night is game night. We usually play cards or a board game. Would you like to join us?"

“I’d love too!” Revy was wonderfully giddy. “See you tomorrow than Seija!”

"Tell your family to join us for game night if they like!" Seija waved goodbye to Revy. "Be careful going home!"

Revy was walking home, chewing down a single brownie and thinking about her day, when she finally noticed her dad had the smuggest grin. “What?”

"Me thinks me little girl finally has a crush one someone." Rat was outside waiting for his daughter's arrival, chopping some firewood. "A certain, pretty snowy bird."

“W-w-what?” Revy’s face flushed, and her hands grew sweaty. “What do you mean by that? I’ve never been attracted to anyone before!”

"Well, your old dad is pretty sure you're crushing on the bird lady that runs the orphanage." Rat teased her lightly. "He knows a romance starting when he sees one. It's the little things that get your attention, see," He elaborated. "You may think she's beautiful, but also loves how she twirls her hair when she's thinking or gets that stiff upper lip when she's mad..."

“I.... darn. I think you’re right. Just don’t-“

“REVY!!! Where have you been missy!!!”

Revy flinched at her mom bellowing from the house. Scarlet could command well when she raised her voice. She rarely did, so Revy knew her mother was cross with her.

“Have you been drinking?! Don’t lie to me.”

“No! Gods mom! I haven’t!”

"Nay, she wasn't drinking," Rat told Scarlet with a shake of his head. "Revy was seeing a sweet little perdy thing."

“Dad!”

Scarlet saw Revy flare up, and now she had a million questions going through her mind. “I don’t believe it. HEY BORGY! Revy has a girlfriend!”

“Mom! I don’t have a girlfriend!”

"A girlfriend?!" Borghild's voice said from inside the house, followed by a loud crash, a bang, the sound of tripping, and then heavy footsteps rushing to the front door. "When did this happened?!"

"Today." Rat told his wife. "She hasn't asked Seija out yet."

"Ooooh!!!" Borghild nearly squealed in delight. "Seija is such a sweet thing!!! She's perfect! So shy, and clumsy, and adorable!"

“I didn’t. Because I’m not-“

“Is this Seija a good person? How do you know?”

“Mother. I’m not-“

“Shy and clumsy? You sure she’s a good fit for Revy?”

“Dad! Tell them it’s not like that!”

"Seija is a nice lady." Rat put down the axe and collected some firewood into a stack, deciding to throw in the magic word. "She runs the orphanage and loves children. You know, we could potentially have a lot of grandkids if Revy ends up adopting all the kiddos."

“Can all of you please stop?” Revy groaned, not liking the embarrassment.

“Why? This is so much better than you drinking. We’re going to be grand parents!”

"I get first dibs on teaching the grandkids how to throw an axe!" Borghild called the claim before Scarlet could. "And first hunting trip!"

"Now, now, it might be a while before Revy proposes, you never know." Rat chuckled. "You can at least know it will never be quiet around here again."

“I JUST MET HER!” Revy felt her frustrations boil. “There’s something I just LIKE about her. I’m not going to pork her, because I STILL don’t have that type of attraction to people! I don’t know how things will happen with me continuing to go there, but you’re making me uncomfortable! I don’t know if I want a lover or if I want a friend. So can you get this baby talk out of my head? Please? You’re embarrassing me!”

"We're your parents, it's our job to embarrass you... a little." Rat laughed as he gestured for Revy to grab some firewood too. "At least let us have a little fun. Whether you date or not, we just want you to be happy."

Scarlet pulled Revy to be squished between her and Borghild. “We just want you to be happy. I’m sorry if you feel like we’ve teased you.”

"We want you to be happy... and we want 12 grandkids at some point too." Borghild added with a bear hug.

"I thought we agreed on 15?"

"We met halfway. I originally said 10."

"Six girls and six boys."

"It doesn't matter, we'll manage them all."

“Guuuuuuuys!” Revy struggled between both her moms, holding the tray of brownies close to her. There was no way she could invite her parents to game night.

~

Ocax thought he could be useful when he woke up. Rising early awake, the Twili made his way to the kitchen. Looking through the cabinets, he found a line of bread and a slab of ham and cheese. Finding the knives, he quickly got to work cutting and making sandwiches. He was nearly done, when, by making sure Towa had her crusts cut, and going rather quickly, he cut his finger wide open.

Ocax shrieked like a cucco from his mistake.

Seer, for once, was sleeping soundly. He was usually an early riser, but the mead from last night's meal made him tune out the rest of the world... until the unholy shriek filled the house. The orca Direnor was so startled, he nearly fell out of his bed. At first, his mind jumped to one of his girls, but then Seer recalled the twins did not live her any longer. He had to recall last night's events. There were... uninvited guests in his home. Stumbling into the kitchen, Seer's hair was a mess, lopped to one side, and his beard was stubby. "What in the name of Handeh is going on in my kitchen?"

“Nothing! I’m fine. J-just a cut.” Ocax couldn’t hide the winces in his breathing. “Just eat your breakfast.”

Seer sniffed a couple of times. "... a... ham and cheese sandwich is not a proper breakfast." He remarked with frown. "And you cut yourself."

“I wanted to be a civil guest. And yes. I cut myself.” Ocax sat down, heavily annoyed with himself.

Towa ran down, catching all her clothes together. “Ocax? Are you ok?”

“No. I sliced my finger open cutting the crusts off your sandwich.”

Towa had concern, yet warmth in her expression. “You idiot... thank you. Be more careful next time.” She grabbed her sandwich, taking a massive bite. “Hey, this isn’t bad.”

“Towa… Chew, swallow, talk.” Ocax held his finger tight, blood squirting into his palm. “Seer... I don’t suppose you’re a medic too?”

"I've patched up my girls more times than I can remember," Seer opened the cabinets and felt around for a box. Inside, there were various medical supplies. He placed it on the counter, and selected a small bottle of cleaning alcohol, and a roll of gauze. "Make sure you wash it first with warm water and soap."

“I don’t like soap. It’s irritating on my skin.”

Towa roller her eyes and headed to the door. “Don’t be an ass. See you later.”

“Hey! Not without me!”

“I’m not waiting on you Ocax. Be smart, get treated, then find me later.”

“Towa-”

“Bye! Love you! Don’t be a dumbass! I’m going to find a bear!”

The Twili woman ran out as Ocax sulked to the closest tap. “Damn woman I swear she’ll be the end of me.”

"If you don't want to use soap, you got one choice; stinging alcohol." Seer held up the tiny bottle, giving it a little shake. Personally, he did not mind Towa leaving. It would give a little more peace and quiet. "Pick your poison."

Without hesitation Ocax poured the alcohol. It stun like a hornet, but at least it wouldn’t leave him sickly with a rash. “That burns like hot a poker. Hurry with what you need to do.” The Twili rested his chin on his other rested arm. “This was humiliating. Will you at least eat your breakfast?”

"You're not the first person to slice open your finger while making a sandwich for your kids---I mean, friend, and you won't be the last." Seer managed to tie a bow to keep the gauze in place. "... I will take the ham off the sandwich, brown it, put the cheese in some eggs, scramble them, and toast the bread you used to make the sandwich, so yes, I will eat my breakfast. The question is," He asked. "Do you want your version of breakfast or mine?"

“Of course the cook states he can make a better breakfast.” Ocax looked at the tie with light amusement before letting out a defeated sigh. “I suppose your version would be more of a bountiful meal.”

"Of course I can make a better breakfast." Seer teased lightly, grinning from ear to ear. "You're not entirely useless in the kitchen. Set the table while I cook." He started to get the necessary items for the meal. "Random question, Tweats... no... Tawrs? Twats? OH GODS---no, no, no, ignore that, just whatever your race is called," He then spitted out. "You're not allergic to anything, right?"

“It’s Twili. Twi-li. Twili. And no, besides my dislike of chocolate, I’m only allergic to certain soaps.” Ocax was a good house guest, and got to setting a table for two. “Direnor. Die-re-nor. See, I managed.”

"Twili, like Twilight. I think I can remember that." Seer managed to fix a large plate of food for Ocax and himself. The Direnor poured a couple glasses of imported orange juice and then sat at the table. "Your friend is missing out. Are you going to be okay eating?"

“Exactly like Twilight. And Towa, she can suffer when she hears about what she missed.” Ocax was about to reach for his food, when he raised a brow. “What, you feed the injured by hand?”

"I have before when my crew mates were injured." Seer tried to hold back a snicker at the old memory. "Bomba blew off one of his fingers and couldn't hold a fork straight to save his life. Tried to eat with the other hand and ended up with a burn on his chest."

“...Is that something you wish to do for me?” Ocax set his slightly shaky fork down, resting his gaze on Seer and waiting him to make the next move.

"I don't mind if you need me to do so." Seer shrugged his shoulders, acting like it was perfectly normal. "I mean... I'm assuming you're right handed?"

“I’m duel handed, but this cut is making me shake. Last thing I need is to spill my drink everywhere.”

"Well then, sit closer." Seer felt of the table, grabbing Ocax's plate and silverware. He felt of the food placement and made sure nothing was steaming, drifting his hand over it. Getting a good helping of scrambled, cheesy eggs on the fork, he held it upward. "You'll uh... have to help me with this part since I'm not a good judge of distance. And I don't want to stab your eye out with a egg-covered fork."

“Of course.” Ocax took hold of Seer’s thigh to hold himself steady, and closed the gap, swallowing the food. A tiny gasp left him as he finished. “That’s marvellous.”

"Yes, it is marvelous cause I made it." Seer replied with a smug grin. He prepared the next bite, not thinking too much of the close contact. It was not like someone ever made a move on him... well, Adda did. Though, he knew better now. "However, I think I'm going to have to ban you from my kitchen if you cut yourself again."

“I promise to no longer cut myself.” Ocax just decided to relax and enjoy to meal Seer provided for him. “I wish to ask, why are you alone Seer? You have a good personality, you’re a wonderful chief, you’re good with children, and your home is comfortable.”

"Alone?" Seer did not grasp what Ocax meant. The poor man was completely oblivious. "Oh, my girls are grown. Do kids still live with their parents in the Twilight Realm?"

Ocax pressed his question further. “They don’t, but I ask, why are you alone in this house? You don’t have a relationship?”

"... oh." Seer realized then what Ocax was asking. "Well... it's not for lack of trying, I suppose. I did have one fling years ago, but let's just say she set her sights elsewhere." The Direnor really did not feel like narrating the whole story of Adda's betrayal, and he certainly did not want to think about Bakura. "It's not a problem for me to find a lover in the pleasure house here, but as far as a relationship goes... I guess I was more concerned about my girls than dating. Besides," He shrugged lightly. "The people here, they want someone strong, someone who has no physical weakness... being blind doesn't help my case."

“Bah, that’s pathetic thinking on their part.”

"It's how it has always been around here. I can't expect them to think differently."

“So why should you devalue yourself due to their thinking?”

"Oh, I don't care what they think," Seer admitted, being honest. "I care what my family thinks, my friends think... but at the same time, I can understand their point of view too. I can't blame them, really."

“So, someone as talented as you are content being alone?”

"Oh, I would be delighted to have a lover one day." Seer beamed a little at the thought. "Someone to hold at night, someone to share stories with, someone to laugh with, and someone just to... sit with me by the fire, being content in each other's company. I wouldn't be opposed to more children, but with a grandkid on the way, I may be biting off more than I can chew."

“You have a dream spouse?”

"Heh, 'dream' is the correct term, yes, I suppose." Seer agreed with a light chuckle. "There's certain qualities I like more than others, yes, but everyone has their quirks that makes them special."

“Please, for your sake more than mine. Have a passion to reach for more than a dream. It will make you not only happy, but more desirable in the eyes of others.”

"Your sake, Ocax? Didn't know Twili were interested in romances." Seer mused as he finished gathering the last bite of food for Ocax.

“Excuse me? We find love like anyone on else. I just like men who have passion in their hearts like I do.”

"Oh, you like men? I um..." Seer cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thought you were with... Towa..."

Ocax felt his throat go dry. In the context of his sentence he meant men as mankind. However, his sexual attraction was indeed to men. He slowly clenched his hand off Seer’s thigh. “I-“

At the mention of Towa, Ocax couldn’t help but give a snicker. “Towa? Oh. No, no, no. We’re good friends. But she isn’t near my type.”

"Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed." Seer was a little sheepish. "I mean, I like both men and women. By Rotar, I feel like an ass..."

“It’s alright. Kanisa assumed Towa was a child, perhaps even my child. Although she is only a bit older than me, I think she views me as an older family figure at times.” Ocax took a sip of his drink and sat in awkward silence for a moment.

"Heh, I'm sure she did; Towa is tiny." Seer then asked. "Is that why you're wanting to get back home so badly? You have someone?"

“I think it’s that feeling of isolation for the others. To see home. To feel complete. I honestly don’t care anymore. My interest is faltering more and more in returning.”

"Well, you won't be alone here, Ocax. There's plenty of people around." Seer carefully picked up the plates and took them to the sink to wash. "Time is our own worst enemy. It's hard to wait for something you really want." He said a few words of wisdom. "Waiting is bitter, but the result is sweet."

“I know. But I think I could be happy in this world of light, despite the sting of its sun. Or not seeing the black clouds of twilight.”

"If it's blackness you want, you could always go under the water when the ice is melted." Seer suggested. "But with someone that can actually swim."

“Seer...” Ocax had disappointed annoyance in his voice, not liking the thought of falling in freezing water again. “It’s not for me I continue to search anyways.”

"Heh, all right, but you're missing out. I may not be able to see anything down there, but there is beautiful music." Seer made a wave of his arm, as if he were a conductor at an orchestra. "The sounds are always peaceful." He sighed in contentment at thinking of the music the ocean provided under the sea. "Searching, wandering, but not always lost. Perhaps one day, you'll find your cloudy sky. Though for now, I'm going to shower. Do you need anything else?"

“I think to find Towa so she doesn’t-”

“HOLY COW! THIS BEAR IS AMAZING! TRASNFORM AGAIN!”

“Let go off me!”

Ocax sighed as he heard commotion from outside Towa was causing. Could she get into any more trouble?

~

The next day Towa saw an interesting old looking building. It held history in its bones, but it was massive! Perhaps this place held ancient secrets. Upon entering, she saw a bunch of Direnor enter, looking muscly and sweaty. At a front counter, a woman looked down at her. “You an adult?”

Towa grumbled at that. Why did people assume always make assumptions of her? “Yes. I’m just small.”

“Alright. You can go in. Have fun.”

As Towa went in, she saw Direnor taking their clothes off. Towa grew excited. This must have been a nudist house of relaxation, perhaps a way to feel free from the prison of clothing without the worries of being ridiculed. Taking what little clothing she had off, she excitedly ran into the halls. She waved to a few people as she looked around. Others seemed to be gathering, but she was content on studying the pillars. There were ancient carvings on them; maybe they held texts she could decipher.

Since Ocax decided to seek out Princess Kanisa's counsel on some Uskarian history, Seer took the opportunity to get away from the house for a bit. All the talk of lovers had him a little depressed. Adda was a one night stand and admittedly, he did not know her that well, but fancied her. Bakura, on the other hand, he had a little more time to know. Maybe he had a bad sense of relationships. The Direnor thought the ex-assassin liked him. Or perhaps, it was just a ruse to get closer to the girls. Either way, Seer had arrived to the conclusion that his taste for women or men was shit. So, to get the thought of old flames off his mind, he traveled to the Pleasure House to melt away his despairs.

However, he did not expect a pint-sized audience.

Towa noticed Seer completely naked on a pile of cushions. Strange, but not enough to throw her off. She liked being naked whenever she got the opportunity! Sure, she didn’t have presentable nipples or her lady bits at the moment like these light worlders, however, those alone wouldn’t bother her. “Oh! Seer! What are you doing at this nudist house? I don’t see why you don’t feel comfortable being naked in your own house. I like to be naked too whenever I can!”

The Direnor nearly spat out his mead. What in the name of Handeh was she doing here? A blush of the reddest of reds covered his face.

"Wh-What?! What are you doing here?!"

Yet, before he could obtain an answer, Seer's procured lovers for the night waltzed over to the blind orca. The woman sat down on his lap and the man kissed him, hard, before running his hand down his chest in a sultry motion.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Towa tilted her head, surprised by the boldness of these two newcomers.

"Do you want to join too? The more, the merrier... and messier." The female giggled as she winked at Towa. "The Madam can help you find someone else if you don't want to join our group."

"She might not like roughness, she's tiny, Kairi." The male literally purred as he released Seer's mouth with a gasp. "Might be more suited for a night of slow romance."

"Either way, Balthor, she can enjoy the show." Kairi then proceeded to test her skills of oral administration of Seers cock while Balthor played with Seer's hole, before penetrating him.

"Oh, f-fuck..." Seer felt his mind going blank from the pleasure.

“....holy shit....” Towa lightly squeaked out. Her ears shot up like a cat when she picked up on where she was. There were dozens of people getting into the groove of one large orgy around. How did she get into a sex addict convention?!

Her cheeks flushed blue and her knees trembled at the sight of Seer being penetrated. Dear lord, her host was a sex cultist!

"Sure you don't want to join?"

"Don't be pushy, Seer might not want to share."

"Do you want to share?"

When someone placed a hand on her stomach and shoulder from behind, Towa screeched like a cat having its tail stepped on. Her magic hair slapped them away, and in her panic, she assumed her shadow form, bouncing around the brothel and keeping away from people until she was near the entrance. Grabbing her clothes, she hid in people’s shadows until she was outside.

Ocax was surprised by how much he enjoyed Kanisa’s wise council. She was a bookworm like him, and her understanding of the land’s law was insightful.

“Perhaps banishment might be too harsh. I think with proper rehabilitation, people could-”

He was cut off his talk with the Gerudo woman when he saw Towa screaming like a mad woman, almost crying when she grabbed his collar. “OCAX!!! OH THANK GOD!”

“What did you do?”

“I was minding my own business when-“

“Bullshit.”

“I WAS! I was looking into history when I stumbled upon a sex cult! Seer is one of them! I saw him getting penetrated by another man while a woman pleasured his appendage! Then other members of the cult tried to drag ME into it!!!”

"Oh good goddesses," Kanisa covered her hands with her face, her cheeks burning red. "I think... she stumbled into the Pleasure House."

“You did what?” Ocax’s mouth started to hang open, the corner of his mouth twitching with disbelief.

“I had to fight my way out! Oh Ocax! It was awful! I could have been taken into their cult, and pounded like a rag doll! Think about all the things they could have done to my body! And what’s worse, Seer is one of them! You should have seen it! His pale frame beat red from them just- just slamming into him! He was bloomed up like rip strawberries!”

"... you know the Pleasure House is all voluntary, for those who want a lover or are seeking companionship for a night." Kanisa tried to keep a straight face without giggling at Ocax's stunned expression. "For those who want a little spice, or adventure, or are just feeling lonely. We've all been there."

Ocax starred off into the night sky, dumbstruck by the information of Seer and Towa’s story.

Towa herself grew concerned with how quiet Ocax grew. “Ocax?”

“I think it’s best that you go stay somewhere else tonight while I talk to Seer.”

“What? Why?”

“Towa. You walked on him and caused a commotion in a pleasure house. People could have you reported for disturbing the peace.”

“Well the only one disturbed was me!”

“And slim chance that no one reports you, you might have been rude to our host. Go with Kanisa or find a house to stay at. I’ll talk with Seer and make sure he’s not angry with you.”

“You think he is?”

“I know I’m furious. You acted like a child. Again.”

“But Ocax…”

The Twili man held his hand up to stop her. “No. Just… no. I’ll go fix this. I just need you to stay out of the way.”

"You can bunk in Audlin's room for tonight; she's staying with some friends." Kanisa offered to Towa. "And next time, I really think you should ask where you are instead of assuming it's... something you think it is."

~

Mortified beyond all means, Seer sat in his chair by the fire. He never expected Towa to come to the Pleasure House. The Twili were here to study any sources of magic, not look for a romp in the sheets. Sighing, he honestly did not expect Towa or Ocax to return to his house. There had to be some elaborate story Towa spun to Ocax about the blind man being a sexual deviant.

Ocax walked in, giving a clear of his throat for Seer. “Mr. Serling. A moment?”

"... I'm surprised you're back."

“I was only described in great detail about you. I didn’t see it with my own eyes. And don’t worry, it was my job to pick apart false testimonies. Especially about you being in a ‘sex cult’ and such nonsense. She did give me a more accurate description of what you were doing though.”

"Oh good Handeh..." Seer felt the blood rushing to his face again, obviously embarrassed. "I... well... the Pleasure House..." He tried to think of a way to explain himself but could not find the words. "It was... just... a fling."

“How often do you have these flings?”

"... not too often. Maybe every other month or so." Seer admitted, knowing lying would get him nowhere. "It's nice to feel..."

“...wanted?”

"Yes." Seer sighed with his shoulders slumping. "The Pleasure House doesn't discriminate. It's all just a feeling to them."

“So what brought on your most recent need to go?”

"Just..." Seer did not want to say he was feeling lonely so he used the next best excuse. "Old memories. The nights of not only pleasure but warmth too."

“And you thought going to a pleasure house where no one actually cares for you would help with that?”

"It's better than nothing." Seer retorted dryly as he took a sip of his drink.

“Excuse me?” Ocax was taken aback by that. “Of course it’s better. Why stoop yourself to that level? Why not have the patience to find someone you actually like?”

"I did. I did have someone I liked." Seer had to grit his teeth. "He chose to follow someone else."

“Then get over him. Things don’t work out. You take time and reflection and you move on.”

"That's easy for you to say." Seer nearly snapped bitterly at Ocax. "He didn't betray you at the last minute either and cause one of your crew mates to die. It's not something you can reflect upon in a positive manner."

“You going to be a little bitter ass when Towa comes back too?” Ocax felt pity for this man, maybe even sympathy. “If you don’t move on, you’ll only be able to wallow in self pity.”

"You don't have to stay here and observe me in my pity if it disturbs you." Seer pointed in the direction of the door. "I'll move on when I damn well please."

“No.”

"No? No what?"

“No, I’m not leaving.” Ocax walked to kitchen and started to make two sandwiches.

"Hey!" Seer got up from his seat. "I told you to keep out of my kitchen! You're going to cut yourself again!"

“What can you do to stop me from making dinner? You’re physically blind. And full of mentally blinding anger. I can make as many sandwiches as I want.” Ocax carefully finished the touches on two raspberry and banana sandwiches.

"I know I can't fucking see, but I can still sense what you're doing and where things are." Seer growled. "I don't want you hurting yourself again. Get out of my kitchen. I may not like you telling me how to cope, though that doesn't mean I want you slicing your hand up."

Ocax shoved a plate aggressively in Seer’s chest. “I’m not going to make the same mistake. And this time you’re going to eat my cooking.”

Seer put the plate on the counter, stubborn. "I've already ate."

“I’m trying to be nice to you. Eat it.” Ocax got closer to Seer’s face, a snarl filling his expression. He wasn’t going to back down.

"I don't want it." Seer did not feel like arguing. He turned to leave Ocax in the kitchen much to his chagrin. This had already turned into a shitty day, and he decided the best way to forget was to sleep. "Give it to Towa. If she comes back."

Ocax grabbed Seer by the shoulders and pushed the man firmly into a chair. “Eating from the nether regions of man and women for dinner is not part of a nutritious meal. I like you. You’ve been hospitable in looking after Towa and I. I wouldn’t be giving advice, or risk cutting myself with your terrible handled knives making food if I didn’t. Eat my sandwich.”

Seer did not like such a rough handling by Ocax and nearly growled at the insensitive statement. Though, he was not prepared to hear that Ocax liked him. It caught the Direnor off guard for sure. But... it probably was not in the way he was thinking. No, it was just as friends, wasn't it? Hospitable, friendly, fixing them food... of course it was. With an irritated frown, Seer took the sandwich and bit off a sizable chunk.

“Thank you. Was that so difficult?” Ocax let go as he watched Seer eat. “Do you like it?”

"... it would be better with peanut butter for the banana's sweetness or chocolate drizzle to compliment the raspberry's tartness." Seer managed to say with a mouthful. "But it is tasty otherwise."

Ocax was growing frustrated. Towa’s story about Seer was flustering enough, but this argument with the man was driving him crazy. “Swallow. Then speak. I’m glad you find my taste enjoyable.”

"Better than 'eating dicks and pussies' as you put it so eloquently. Certainly more nutritious." Seer was mad at Ocax for trying to tell him how to cope, how to feel, and most of all, felt like he was being played with. Again. This was going to be Adda all over again if he wasn't careful. The Twili weren't going to stay here, they were going to leave, Ocax would leave just like Bakura. There was no need to get attached. Wanting a lover just brought heartache.

“Of course it is.” Ocax sat down. After a moment, he gave a laugh. “A sex cult of all things... Towa needs to get back home.”

"... back to the Twilight Realm."

“Yes. I love her like family. She’s the most determined to get back home. You saw her today. She heard one little rumour of an old hall holding ancient magical texts, and she stormed that brothel right away. She thought the pillars held secret etchings. I want her to be happy. I want her to stop having nightmares of never returning home. She’s the only one who’s spirit can’t be settled here.”

"And you're going back with her, aren't you?"

“I don’t think I will.”

"Why?" Seer asked Ocax, expecting a halfhearted answer. "Find some of those dark, shadowy clouds you liked here better?"

“I don’t know. I’ve been in this world for nearly thirty years. Those beautiful clouds are just a memory now. I think it would hurt too much to go back. To confirm the most likely scenario that my lover and my family has long since moved on. That the Twilight Realm might seem too small. This world is so diverse. And it’s changed for the better. I’m going to give Towa her door back to our ancestral home, but I don’t think I’ll join her. So many of the others have settled in this world. Why not me too?”

"... if you have a family there, would you really think they would forget about you?" Seer felt his chest tighten at the recollections of when he was trapped, away from his girls. It was so painful to be away from them. Often, he thought it would be best if the twins deemed him dead. That way, they would not be hurt looking for him.

“Yes.” Ocax sounded bitter, almost angry with one single word.

"And you would forget them?

“I don’t need to see them again if that’s what you’re asking. I had a clan. My clan already came from bad history, so expectations were high on me. Imagine how they felt when I rose to gain political power through my occupation in mastering the law over others. On top of that, I was homosexual, so I wasn’t going to ‘share’ my power with a new generation. I had my lover, but he was only interested in me due most likely to my stature. I had one father as my closest blood relative as far as I can remember. He didn’t like that I worked to put my own needs before the rest of the clan. They thought I was another Zant in the making. So yes, I could forget them.”

"...sometimes, I suppose in your family, they can be the ones to hurt you the most."

“I think this is best. Stay in this world, and fade away into obscurity.”

"Well... minus the fading away part, you could always find happiness here. New families wouldn't hurt, right?"

“No one wants a being of twilight. I doubt any Hylian or Direnor would given your history with ‘disgusting dark beings’.” Ocax shook his head, sighing in self pity. He regretted talking about this topic. “Do me a favour. Forget this conversation. We can simply move on from all the awkwardness.”

"That's the biggest load of whaleshit I've ever heard." Seer felt for Ocax's chest and then poked it. "Everyone has flaws. Everyone deserves happiness." He then added as an afterthought, "There's no awkwardness here. Everyone needs someone to talk to."

“What? To you?”

"Sure, everyone needs someone to talk to. To rant, to rave, to cry with, to laugh with... I mean, it's only human."

“If you could look at me you wouldn’t call me human...”

Seer once again found Ocax's chest with a bump of his fingers, and then used both hands to smack on the man's face. "You got a heart and a soul, it don't matter what you look like." He told him, "I can't see, but that doesn't matter to me. Physical appearance isn't everything. It's how that person acts, how they treat others around them, how they love... that's the key."

Ocax yelled out like a chicken, turning to Seer in shock. “And how do you think I’ve treated people?”

"Well... from what I know, you treat Towa pretty nice. You haven't been too cruel to me." Seer shrugged. "Kanisa seems to like you. So, that's good enough for me."

“Do you like me?” Ocax asked a direct question.

"Like you?" Seer repeated. "Like as a friend? Or something more?"

“Just a yes or a no.”

"Then yes, I do like you."

Ocax felt a flush in his heart and he leaned in to kiss Seer, his lips pushing fondly against the blind man’s own. Once he was done, he pulled back, embarrassment starting to consume him. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t ask for your consent. That was unprofessional.”

Now, it was Seer's turn to be red in the face. He was at a loss for words.

"I... I um..." He cleared his throat and tried to keep from squeaking. "I... don't have complaints."

“You should. You should be angry with me.”

"Why?"

“I-I kissed you out of the blue! That’s not right of me to take advantage of you like that.”

"You're not taking advantage of me. Taking advantage of me is manipulating me."

“I... you’re really not angry with me?” Ocax leaned back into his chair.

"No, I'm not. I mean, in case you haven't noticed, I'm bisexual. Men and women are nice." Seer chuckled a little at hearing the surprise in Ocax's voice. "Does that... help?"

“Yes?” Ocax felt his hands get sweaty, clenching the chair handles tightly. The floor boards shifted as he tapped his feet nervously.

"Then good." Seer acted like this was not much of a big deal. After all, he had sex with Adda and... well, that went bad. Very bad. Then there were a few men at the Pleasure House that he enjoyed. Though, a relationship? That was... rare. "You don't have to worry you know."

“Why? Because my nerves are spiking.”

"Why?" Seer actually tilted his head, confused. "I'm just me."

“No ones liked me as...” Ocax trailed off. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to leave?”

"Liked you as what? I don't want you to leave, I want you to stay and explain yourself." Seer told Ocax. "Look, we both have our flaws, faults, and insecurities. But that doesn't mean I won't try to be there for you."

“I’ve haven’t been a relationship since home. It wouldn’t be right for me to just come into your life and uproot it. I’m a gentlemen, but also a stranger. Given your history it would be rude of me to be your.... I won’t do that to someone like you. I’ve made an embarrassment of myself. I had my companion terrify you in your state of privacy, forced you to eat my cooking, and then forced a kiss without your consent. Now don’t you lie to me and tell me you enjoyed that. Let me just gather my things and I can spare you my presence from intruding on you any longer.”

Now it was Seer's turn to make a move. Ocax was rambling and assuming things, not to mention, the man was not listening to a word he said. Even if the Twili did decide to leave at some point, even if he did not want a relationship, there was a chance now for some pleasure and quality time with another being. So, to shut Ocax up, Seer pulled the man closer, pushed him to the floor, and planted a deep kiss on his lips. "Shut up." Seer told him gruffly between kisses. "You overthink too much."

Ocax held Seer’s shirt tightly, shocked by the kiss. His tongue was lathered by Seer’s, and he was left breathing heavily. “W-what are you going to do about it?”

"Oh, I know a number of things to do to shut another up." Seer told Ocax. "Unfortunate skills I learned from the brothel... but actually serve me well now when seeking a lover."

“Specifics.” Ocax leaned back on the floor as the Direnor kept him pinned by sitting on his hips.

"I can make you see stars with my mouth, my fingers, or my body... take your pick." Seer then shrugged his shoulders. "Unless you still wish to leave..."

Ocax’s hands pulled Seer by his hips to scoot his body closer to his face. With a slight shake of his hands and no words, he unbuckled Seer’s pants.

"Well, what do you know, you can be quiet for once." Seer teased as Ocax messed with his belt.

Ocax grumbled, trying to mess with Seers pants. Finally get the man’s cock out, it clapped against the Twili’s cheek. The smell was like a drug to Ocax. Its scent was old, but familiar. And one his brain was telling him he lacked for far too long.

"Impatient, are we?" Seer asked the Twili, running his fingers through Ocax's hair. "You know, the appropriate place for this is the bedroom, but if you have a kink for the floor, I won't protest."

“I would like to not be pinned to the floor....” When Seer dangled to close, Ocax licked the man’s rod. With a light moan of pleasure that filled him, he opened his mouth, sucking on the tip. He felt like a young man in love again.

"Do you want to pin me---fuck!!!" Seer was not expecting such eagerness from Ocax. Then again, he had no clue how long it had been for the Twili. "Oh, by the gods and goddesses, that's good..."

“It is?” Ocax only paused to ask, quickly sucking once more. He purred as Seer played with his hair.

"I could..." Seer took a deep inhale. "Use many... four letter words---holy shit... to describe it..."

Ocax keep sucking, pushing Seer deeper and deeper down his throat. His eyes bulged when he felt a hot, salt fill his mouth. Pulling out, the Twili coughed as dripped cum from his lips. It wasn’t much do to Seer’s previous sex a few hours before, but it was still strong.

Seer did not mean to achieve his release so quickly, but Ocax had a tongue that rivaled those expert lovers in the Pleasure House. Either that, or he was just overly sensitive. He nearly fell forward, if it was not for the table next to him. He had to grasp the wood tightly to keep from losing his balance. After such mind blowing pleasure, it was difficult for his knees not to shake or legs to give out from him.

“Oh my lord.” Ocax finished swallowing and rubbed his jaw. It was rather sore due to being out of practice.

"I don't really consider myself any type of 'lord' or 'duke' or 'knight', but if you insist..." Seer said in a cheeky tone, a wide grin across his face.

“Aren’t you happy.” Ocax leaned back, trying to catch his breath.

"I'll be happier when I get to return the favor." Seer suggested with a purr. "I have to find out what you like best; what is that one spot that will make you just writhe."

Ocax shivered as he pulled his pants down. He wanted to know too. “You want me to stand or do you want to take me here?”

"I can fuck you like an animal or you take me anyway you desire," Seer pulled Ocax forward by a strand of the long hair. "I'm not known for being gentle... but I can let you take the reins if you prefer to have control."

The thought of Seer ravaging him made Ocax giggle with anticipation. “You? Ravage me? Oh dear~”

"Think I won't?" Seer asked Ocax as he curled his fingers tightly into the man's hair and pulled him closer, giving a long lick up the side of his cheek.

“I think I need you to stop talking with words, and instead demonstrate with action.”

"Safe word?"

Ocax thought it over for a moment. “Midna.” Might be disrespectful, but it was the first unique thing Ocax could think of.

"Midna it is." Seer gave no warning as he suddenly spun Ocax around and had the man halfway over on the table. The plates and cups clattered in protest at the harsh movement. While Seer did detest his time as a slave in the brothel, he did learn some tricks to cause his partner to see stars. First, it was feather light touches down Ocax's back. He had to get the man anticipating the pleasure, craving it. Little nips and kisses here and there were sure to stimulate the nerves of his body. Second, it was ghosting with touches near his hole, but never quite touching there or his length. He wanted Ocax to show his impatience, feel his body twitch with need. It was a sweet torment.

Ocax was out of practice. His time away from the touch of another man made him sensitive at every touch. The bites made red hot marks on his pale skin. Growling, he wished he wasn’t so desperate. “What are you waiting for?”

At the snarky growl, Seer pushed Ocax's face flat against the table.

"You'll get my dick when I say you can." For a small 'punishment' of sorts, Seer smacked Ocax's ass. "Now... are you going to be good?"

“Oh my lord!” Ocax bawked like a chicken once more. His mouth nearly watered at Seer’s forcefulness.

"I'll take that as a yes." Seer then rubbed his fingers over Ocax's entrance before slipping on inside, curling it upward.

Ocax threw his head up, pleasure and pain sending a shock up his spine and to his head. To his embarrassment, he came almost immediately. His cock spread its seed under the table. “Oh FUCK!”

"Reduced you to four letter words, I see..." Seer chuckled as he inserted another finger, making sure to wiggle the digits wildly.

“Shut uuuuuuuuooooooooooooooh goooooooood.” Ocax rolled a hand down his face. “Stop teasing…”

"Why? I may not be able to see you squirm, but I can certainly feel it," Seer whispered to Ocax. "The way your breathing picks up, the way you jerk, the way the dishes on the table rattle..."

Ocax couldn’t stop moving to disprove Seer. With a low, sounding cry, the Twili begged. “Please. It’s been too long. Give me what I crave.”

"A please? That's what I wanted to hear." Seer decided he'd reserve greater teasing for the next time of lovemaking. After all, he had a tendency to 'play' with his lovers. It usually brought both parties great pleasure. For now, he lined up his cock with Ocax's entrance and gently started to press inside of his lover. While he did love to be a tease, he did not care for pain.

Ocax gripped the edge of the table, his asshole burned from Seer’s girth, but he endured. His cock started to get hard again. “Keepittogether. Hell on earth, keep it together.”

"Who said you had to keep it together?" Seer draped himself over Ocax's back, running one hand down the man's throat while the other gripped at his length. "There's no need to keep control... lose it and feel bliss."

Ocax did as Seer suggested, and his mind threw itself into the abyss. The Twili man screamed, rocking his back into Seer.

Lovemaking was usually gentle but a rut was rough. Seer had many ruts in his lifetime, but was not complaining about the pleasure it brought, only the company. Now, he actually had someone who interested him, beneath him in the throws of passion. Gripping Ocax's shoulders, Seer barely allowed Ocax any room to wiggle away from his unrelenting thrusts.

“Seer! Oh Seer! Fuck! Fuck I’m-“

“Ocax is that-HOLY SHIT!” Towa stumbled in through the door, alerted by the noise. She hugged the wall behind her as she watched Ocax bent over the table.

Ocax came at the worst time, and as he tried to wiggle free in a panic, Seer hit the wrong spot. “AH-MIDNA! MIDNA!”

“WHY WOULD YOU SAY HER NAME IN THIS CONTEXT!?!”

“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?!!”

“I CAME TO GET MY TOOTHBRUSH! SEER REALLY IS A SEX ADDICT!!!”

Ocax tried to stand, but a spike of pain hit him. “GET OUT! I HATE YOU! HE’S NOT A SEX ADDICT!!!”

“OK! OK!!!”

Towa ran off, leaving Ocax panting over the table from sex and anger.

At Ocax's sudden jerk upward, the back of his head hit Seer in the nose causing the blind man to give an unsightly yelp and stumble backwards. Between Towa's yelling and Ocax stridently shouting the safe word, all Seer knew was their rut had been interrupted. After Towa left, the Direnor tried to keep his groans to a minimum. He felt blood on his palm, but was a little more concerned by the shouting match that took place.

"... are you all right?" Seer asked as he felt around for the pants.

“No. I’m pissed.” Ocax couldn’t find the strength to pull himself up.

"At me or Towa?"

“What? You think I could be-?” Ocax groaned as he turned himself around. Grabbing Seer by the hand, he pulled the man to him, kissing him close. “You were magnificent.”

"I thought perhaps I hurt you. I apologize if I did." Seer smiled at the smooch and returned an affectionate nuzzle. "It's hard to be gentle sometimes. I'm not used to it, if that makes sense."

“I understand. Do you wish to simply sleep the rest of the night together?”

"If that is what you desire." Seer then said, "My bed is not as large as others, but I do not mind snuggling. My girls used to crawl into bed with me all the time when it was really cold."

“As long as they don’t do so now.” Ocax sighed contently. “Thank you for opening up to me.”

"I don't have much to offer, but I do have love." Seer told Ocax as he shut the front door and led the man into his bedroom.  "Orcas take care of their own and look after one another. Come on," He crawled into the bed, making room for Ocax. "Get warm."

________________________________________________________________

Partner is @ridersoftheapocalypse

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/186973802976/blue-stream-ch-3-foreign-negotiations

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/188307062666/blue-stream-ch-5-alls-well-that-ends-well

[mrneighbourlove]

Red Typhoon: Ch 7. In the Court of the Crimson King

Bakura and Seth felt all their memories clone and strip apart into two separate beings. A vortex of blood swirled, meat solidifying muscle and blood turning into bone by dark magic. Everything burned between the two of them. As their eyes rolled back, and Seth’s started to scream as his vocal cords came into formation, a intense hatred toward the pain burned. This pain was not unlike the pain that brought them together in the first pain. Pain was the architect of their lives. As Seth’s body was completed, both bodies were shot backwards. When they’d reach consciousness, the two would decide who was the superior specimen in the court of the crimson king.

~

King Crimson's face started to contort as the blood magic constructed his face into a permanent scowl. The monster of a man stood over Mojo and Jugo, blood swirling around him. The battle for survival had begun. Lunging at Corsaire, his hands grew sharp bladed swords made of blood, swiping at the Captain.

THWANG!!!

The blades of blood would not pierce Corsaire's metal arm. If there was one thing the captain was eternally grateful for, it was the unbreakable arm that Rat bought for him. Mojo and Juju quickly got to their feet, piercing the king from the back with their blades.

King Crimson real face started to peek through as his disguise left him to heal his back and face. He had the scent of a man of the ocean, and long, dirty hair. Distinct tattoos ran from his neck down his back. A snarl left his lips, and raising his hand, the blood in the room started to churn, and tendrils from the liquid shot out to pierce the torso's of these peasants.

Corsaire did the only thing he could do at this point. Striking the wooden floor with his hand, the ground disappeared beneath his feet, Mojo's and Juju's. It was just in time as well, for another reason he did this particular move was because of Halvar. The young prince had swung by on a rope... and dropped a bomb canister.

King Crimson growled, taking his most valuable book and retreating as his office combusted into a terrible explosion. He’d make these upstarts pay.

~

Liz was leading the prisoners to safety, when she heard a scream down the hall. She recognized it immediately as her father. She knew she shouldn't have gone alone, but she felt compelled regardless. Rushing to his aid, she opened a door to find two figures dimly illuminated in the dark. One was leaned farther away against the wall, and the other was face first in the blood. His white hair was stained by the liquid, his body as mess from some unseen torture Liz had not witnessed. Carefully picking him up, she recognized it as the face of her father. "Father. I'm going to get you out of here."

As she started to carry him out, she noticed the other man reaching out to her. As he got closer into the light, it was revealed he was also Bakura. Liz was taken completely by surprise. "Father? What?"

The man she was carrying around her shoulder smiled, and with a quick motion, took her knife, stabbed her in the chest, and kicked her to the side. Liz landed into the blood with a loud scream of pain. Seth smiled, looking at Bakura. The two of them, with the help of King Crimson's magic, had separated into two separate bodies. It left them both weakened, their bodies shocked, however, Seth was ecstatic to begin his carnage on his own. "Finally. I'm free of you and your bloodline."

Bakura rose slowly, up against the wall. Gods. He was free of Seth, but his body was so weak from the ritual. He watched as Seth was forced from his mind, with a swirl of blood to clone his body as a temple for the alter-ego. Now this monster had finally hurt one of his girls. "Seth. You don't need to kill us. You can leave."

"No. No we both know that's not going to happen."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I hate you. Like you hate me."

"I never wanted to hate you."

"Really? All I did was protect your fragile mind from threats."

"You saw everything and everyone as a threat."

"Because they were."

"You're the reason I didn't have a good life."

"I gave you a life Bakura."

"No... I gave myself a life to live for. And if I have to kill you to keep that life safe, so be it Seth."

"The purple piper plays your final tune Bakura. Can't you hear it?"

As Seth raised his knife, Liz stretched her hand as best she could, grabbing Seth by the foot to sear his leg with fire. This was enough of a distraction for Bakura to tackle Seth into the blood. Seth's body was slippery in the blood, slithering like a cobra out of Bakura's killing reach. The Shiekah battled the Yiga, giving Seth punches as they rolled around. Seth hissed, slashing Bakura's skin with deep cuts.

Bakura fought with all his will, but he was getting tired. Seth gave Liz a kick to her stab wound, causing her to keel over. With a smile, he pushed Bakura to the ground and thrust one knife into Bakura's stomach, and stabbed downwards to stab Bakura in the neck with another. The Shiekah grasped Seth's hand, losing the strength to hold him back.

"First I'm going to kill you. Than I'll kill Liz. Than I'll fuck the hell out of Lex. Beautiful thing she is.” Seth licked his lips, his eyes full of insane hatred. “Than to finish, I'm going to find Adda, and I'm going to burn her, and her whole people at the stake. One giant extermination."

"Go. To. Hell."

"I'll see you there first Bakura."

Bakura's looked into Seth's rage filled eyes and saw their history. He remembered how as a young lad he was kidnapped by a rival clan. His body was sliced open, burnt, and exposed to all manners of pain. He remembered how his mind cracked, snapped, and contorted, as all he felt was fear and hatred. Finally, the hatred couldn't co-exist with the fear, and Seth was born to cope with the torture. Seth was a part of him that he couldn't deny, because the more he tried to, the stronger Seth became. A self cycle of hatred fueled their bond. Now Bakura wondered how things could have been different. Seth twisted the knife in Bakura's stomach and the Shiekah knew that he was going to lose.

"Mojo?" Corsaire held the back of his skull, wincing. "Juju? You two alive?"

"Aye, but wish me wasn't." Juju groaned aloud. "Everything hurts."

"Hurt'in lets us know we's alive." Mojo grimaced. "Where's we at?"

"I think... we're in the basement. And I hear screaming."

"Dat sounds like Bakie."

"Pretty sure it's Bakie."

"Let's go find him before the idiot gets himself killed."

"If we rescue him, he owes us drinks."

"Fuck a drink, he owes us a whole bar!"

Corsaire, Juju, and Mojo stumbled through the dark, heading to the sound of the screams. Before the brothers rounded the corner, the captain held them back. He heard the struggling, the conversation, and knew not only Liz was in trouble, but Bakura. There were... two of him. Seth's voice, he knew the difference, he could sense the bloodlust. So he stopped, took a breath... and fired.

Seth felt the bullet go through his chest, and he looked down at Bakura, shock filling his eyes. The madman’s face shifted from wrath to pure confusion. Bakura looked back at Seth, a moment of hesitation between them. Seth didn't move, processing how a bullet pierced his lung, but Bakura did. Taking the knife from his counterpart, Bakura thrust the blade into Seth's neck, and blood oozed from his throat down onto Bakura. The Shiekah looked back into Seth’s eyes as he pushed the knife deeper. Seth fell onto his side, and Bakura kept the pressure up, climbing atop the Yiga.

Many thoughts raced through Seth's mind, but he no longer had the capacity to speak them. Bakura’s eyes were filled with conflict, guilt, and then relief. Seth followed in suit, a light smile creeping on his lips. The hate. The hatred was disappearing. Maybe he could rest now. Finally rest…

Pulling the knife out, Bakura caught Seth and set him down gently. He put his fingers to Seth's palm, not breaking contact until he felt the last heartbeat go.

"You are... a giant pain in the ass to find." Corsaire staggered up to Bakura with Mojo and Juju not far behind. "And this," He gestured to the man's counterpart. "You can tell me about later. Right now, we need to get you and Liz back to the ship. You're both wounded."

Bakura didn't hear Corsaire, closing Seth's eyes. His doppelganger was a part of him for so long and now.... he was gone. He was out of his mind, and he was dead. Bakura looked back to Corsaire, a little dazed. "What?"

Mojo leaned down to pat Bakura's cheeks, almost like he would a kid's.

"Bakie, come on back ta earth now." Mojo looked at Bakura's face. "Hmph. Think he's lost too much blood, cap'n."

"Can you and Juju get him and Liz to the ship?"

"Aye, we's hurt, but not as bad as them."

They heard Liz scream as she gritted her teeth. Using her fire, she cartelized her knife wound. "I-I'll be fine. Where's my sister? Where's Halvar?"

"Halvar was supposed to meet back up with us, so I'm guessing he was rather occupied with guards... or something else." Corsaire helped Liz to her feet. "Lex is with Scarlet."

Bakura picked himself up. With one final look at Seth, he closed his eyes on the dangers of the past. Now, he would open them to the future threats to come. "We need to find him. This King Crimson is more dangerous than you know."

~

After the blast, King Crimson channelled the blood to heal himself. Damn these people. It would take forever to rebuild his office. One by one he'd hunt these bastards down. Starting with the Direnor. At first the Crimson King was surprised when he saw it was the youngest prince of Uskar, but that surprise was quickly replaced by excitement. The royal blood would do wonders for his power.

Using his blood magic, he churned the blood around Halvar to bring smells old and new to the prince's nose. As Halvar tried to focus his senses at the sudden burning sensation, King Crimson descended from behind him. With a hard chop the pirate stabbed his hand into Halvar's side. "Little Prince. So far from mommy and daddy. So foolish to come alone. It is little wonder that your people are losing the war against the Frost King. Your rusty chains of life will now come to an end. A Dirnor Prince is no match for a Crimson King."

Pain was nothing new to Halvar. During his training, he had been stabbed before, and Frost Ones had mauled him. Luckily, he never had anything life threatening. Whirling around, Halvar sucker punched the man in the nose, then slammed his foot into the pirate's neck. Growling, Halvar's eyes looked no longer human.

"A king is not a match against sheer will."

"Yes. But my people have always excelled at one thing better than yours."

"If you're going to say 'surviving', then you're wrong." Halvar drew his blade. "Direnors fight to survive everyday. Your kind, the witch queen's kind, may have lost their home. But they never had a constant enemy."

"Yes. You can smell my secret. Than you should know the answer. Magic." Touching the flowing blood that littered his entire home, many tendrils shot forward, stabbing into Halvar's leg, torso, and his sword arm. His energy was sucked out, and King Crimson launched a hydro pump of blood to knock the prince against a wall so he could drain Halvar easier. "I like my secrets. I like learning the secrets of others. I keep to the shadows, and fill my treasure trove with knowledge. Now that you know one of my own closely guarded secrets, you should know that I can't allow you to live."

Scarlet and Rat arrived with Lex flanking them and refurbished back into her garb, and the next moment Corsaire's group joined them. Scarlet didn't hesitate, swinging her axe at the Pirate King. King Crimson had grown incredibly powerful from Halvar's lifeforce, however, and used a hand of blood to grab the axe. Another torrent of bloody water threw her into a wall. Bakura tried to make a move, but he felt his knife wound ooze blood as he took a hard step. King Crimson stabbed him with a tendril from behind, and threw him into the ceiling. With a taunt of fingers, and many tendrils swarming around him, he waved for Corsaire and his men to face him.

Magic, of course, made the Lorleidians very formidable opponents. While most of the Lorleidians did not condone violence, Halvar supposed there was always an odd one in the group. Seeing the witch queen in action always filled Halvar with awe when he was a child. He never imagined having to face on in a duel... and that was his downfall. He barely watched Scarlet and Bakura be throttled before losing consciousness from his own damage.

King Crimson laughed as he took down Mojo and Juju, slicing open the backs of their thighs and using the blood to drag them away. Rat tried to use his brute strength to break the King in half. The Lorleidian Pirate Lord used a torrent of water to grasp Rat, and throw him around like a ragdoll, smashing the man into the ceiling, the walls, and the floor. He only stopped when Corsaire furiously shot his piece at the King. With a laugh, King Crimson engaged in a mock sword duel with Corsaire, using blood to make shift a sword against him. "Tell me Captain. Do you feel in charge? Do you honestly think you will see Seer once more, let alone the light of day again?"

Liz rushed to Halvar, while Lex rushed to Scarlet. It seemed her sister was safe, so Liz poured her worry into Halvar. "Halvar! Wake up! Please wake up!"

King Crimson used his blood magic to shift his face once more, this time opting to the face of Seer to taunt Corsaire. "Let me give you a secret Captain. I gave up on seeing you so long ago."

Blood could burn. This would have to be timed just right. He hoped that Liz would get his meaning as he tossed his pipe to her from his pocket. Maybe now was the time to fight fire with fire.

"Just a note, you filthy swine," Corsaire clanged his sword against the one made of blood as he made the signal to Liz. "Seer can't see."

"I'll paint him a picture of what I did to you." A dirty move, King Crimson used the blood all around them to stab Corsaire in the back. As one small tendril pierce the Captain fully through the bottom of his lower torso, Corsaire felt a lightning bolt of pain travel through him. The King followed up by slashing Corsaire across the chest with a claw hand formed from his blood magic. Paying attention to the last two girls, he tore away Scarlet and Halvar from them. "The children of Adda. With you two imprisoned, she'll have no choice but to bow to me."

Lex saw Scarlet reach out to her, and her eyes widened with a primal fear, which exploded out into a cry of resistance. "LET GO OF MY MOM!"

Lex's hair turned icy without her realizing it, and she froze all the blood around the room. King Crimson's eyes grew wide with panic, as he felt his additional life force be suddenly cut off. "You cur! I'll make you beg mercy for that!"

Liz sprung into action, her flames igniting, and she and her sister made an unconscious joint effort, both of them hurtling a bolt of fire and ice at the Lorleidian Pirate. King Crimson launched what torrent of blood he could in the form of tendrils at the twins, but they burned and battered their way through his magic. Calling all the blood he could in his mansion, he sought to bring a typhoon down upon them, drowning them if he had to.

Lex rose her hands, and the blood froze. Liz followed in support, burning the blood to steam. Both sisters advanced towards the King, working together to stay uninjured. King Crimson rose a hand to take a hostage in the form of Rat, but Lex took the gun Corsaire gave her, and fire a shot into his eye. The Lorleidian drew a claw hand to gut this upstart. It would take a few moments to repair his eye, however, that was when he lost vision of Liz. It was too late when he spotted her inches from his face. By injuring her friends and family, he had summon back the fire witch to the court of the crimson king. Liz's hair burned like cinder, and reaching a hand to his exposed injured eye, took a breath, and, on exhale, poured all her fire into the man. Lex froze his legs so he couldn't run, and everyone in the room boor witness to the end of King Crimson.

His body combusted into flames, fire rocketing out of his eyes and ears. His outside skin was completely intact, but everything else inside burned to ash. His body fell back, and all the blood inside his mansion simmered away. Liz, upon letting go of him, fell onto the floor, colliding with her sister. They were exhausted, the traces of magic in their hair disappearing.

The group was completely astonished by the twin sisters. They had battled their way to victory through a seemingly unstoppable force. Halvar didn’t think he could find Liz anymore attractive. His waging tail told him otherwise. Scarlet gave Lex a light smile. She was so incredibly proud of the girls. “Mom eh?”

Lex didn’t have any sarcasm in her voice, and she was so tired, she barely could nod. “Of course. You’re the closest thing I have to one. Like hell I was going to lose you…”

Corsaire saw the book that held Adda’s location fall from King Crimson’s pockets. Reaching over the dead Lorleidian man he picked the book up. They finally had the final key to find Adda. “Come on. We’re leaving. And we’re not leaving without saying a proper goodbye.”

The crew helped Lex and Liz to their feet, and quickly ran out of the mansions under layers, with Mojo and Juju setting explosives at key points in the mansions structure. Bakura couldn’t help but notice another look at Seth’s body as they passed by. His alter ego always did want a grand burial. And for what little it would mean to the psychotic assassin, Bakura made a silent pray for him, and honestly hoped he’d find peace in death.

The band of crusaders made it to their tug boat and rowed out. When Corsaire gave the signal to Bomba aboard the Sea Witch, his mate fired the cannons upon the island. The cannon fire ignited the explosives littered inside, and the whole mansion detonated in a firework of explosions, stone, wood, and whatever else was inside. They didn’t look back, simply ready to sail into the future.